The West Bengal police have registered a third FIR against TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee over alleged irregularities at the Sebaashray camp, a healthcare outreach initiative launched by him during the tenure of the TMC government in the state.
According to officials, the latest FIR was filed based on the complaint of a man, whose wife lost a leg, allegedly after being treated for chronic knee pain at the health camp organised by the Diamond Harbour MP at Maheshtala in South 24 Parganas district.
Prabir Biswas, husband of the alleged victim Malati Biswas submitted a complaint at the Rabindranagar Police Station on July 9 claiming that his wife lost her leg due to "medical negligence" at the health camp.
According to the complaint, Biswas, prodded by a former local TMC councillor, had attended the health camp on February 8 with a complaint of chronic knee pain on account of osteoarthritis and was prescribed some medicines, allegedly by a medical examiner who did not reveal his full name or medical registration number on his prescription, which she had followed.
However, her condition deteriorated, forcing her to approach a second Sebaashray 'model' camp.
The patient alleged that doctors in the second camp demanded a large sum of money for treatment and referred her to a government hospital after she declined to pay.
Biswas was referred to MR Bangur government hospital and subsequently admitted to the state-run Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital on March 19, where she underwent a total knee replacement surgery on April 25.
Following the development of an acute post-operative vascular complication in her right leg, an above-knee amputation had to be performed on May 27, the patient's husband alleged in the police complaint.
An official at the Rabindranagar police station confirmed that an FIR had been registered against Abhishek Banerjee and some others based on the complaint and further investigation was underway.
At least two FIRs have already been filed against Abhishek in connection with alleged irregularities in the Sebaashray health camps, police said.
Intervening in the controversy, state health minister Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay spoke to the complainant and asked her family members to visit Swasthya Bhawan, the health department headquarters in Salt Lake, on Monday for a detailed review of the case, sources said.
Mukhopadhyay, they said, has asked the relatives to bring all relevant documents related to her treatment and the alleged negligence.
"The health minister understood the gravity of the complaint and has asked Malati and her family to visit Swasthya Bhavan with relevant papers. He has spoken to her over the phone and collected information about how she was treated," said Abhijit Das, a BJP leader from Diamond Harbour, who assisted the family in filing the complaint.
(With inputs from PTI)