Suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh, one of the prime accused in the multi-crore Saradha scam, was alleged to have attempted suicide by consuming sleeping pills in the wee hours of Friday.
Ghosh, a Rajya Sabha MP, is in judicial custody since November 2013 for various cases linked to the money collection scam. He was the CEO of Saradha’s media business.
According to police sources, at around 2 am today a prison guard at the Presidency Correctional Home in south Kolkata saw the MP gasping. He had reportedly consumed 20-35 sleeping pills and was shifted to the state-run SSKM Hospital.
According to the sources, his condition is currently stable.
The incident evoked a sharp response as, earlier this week, Ghosh had threatened to commit suicide if the investigating agencies did not arrest the “main culprits”.
According to Murlidhar Sharma, DC (South), Kolkata police, the jail authorities have filed an FIR against Ghosh for an alleged attempt to commit suicide. Attempt to commit suicide is chargeable under section 309 of the Indian Penal Code.
Meanwhile, the Superintendent of the Presidency Correctional Home, a jail doctor and the on-duty staff were suspended in connection with the alleged suicide attempt.
The West Bengal Government has also constituted a committee headed by Home Secretary Basudeb Banerjee to probe the incident.
CBI ‘concerned’ According to a PTI report, the special crime branch of the CBI, which had arrested Ghosh on November 23 last year, has said it will write to the jail authorities asking where Ghosh was lodged and how he got access to medicines while in judicial custody.