RANCHI: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s representative, Pankaj Mishra, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering and illegal mining case, was forcefully admitted to the de-addiction centre of the Central Institute of Psychiatry (CIP) in Ranchi on Monday by police.
Mishra, who was being treated at the paying ward of RIMS for the last two months, was not ready to leave RIMS despite being discharged by the doctors on November 30.
According to CIP doctors, as of now, Mishra will be admitted to the emergency ward. Only after preliminary examination, it will be decided whether he will be sent to the de-addiction ward or not, he said.
Notably, Mishra is addicted to Fortwin, used as a pain reliever and mild anaesthesia, for a long period of time. He, himself revealed before the doctors about his addiction, immediately after being admitted to RIMS. A medical board recommended his treatment at the drug de-addiction centre.
Mishra was arrested on July 19 for laundering money earned by illegal mining after the central agency unearthed Rs 11.88 crore in 37 bank accounts.
Mishra was brought to RIMS following a complaint of abdominal pain on July 29. Since then he was there.
Earlier, ED had detained two people from the RIMS premises who allegedly were providing mobile phones to Rs 1000 crore illegal mining accused Pankaj Mishra. The ED observed that despite being in judicial custody as an accused, Mishra was enjoying all the facilities and had access to a phone and made more than 300 calls and was managing everything from the hospital.
According to ED, Pankaj Mishra enjoys ‘political clout’ as he is the political representative of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and ‘controls’ illegal mining business in Soren’s Assembly constituency through his accomplices.
Pankaj Mishra was reportedly caught when he was talking to someone over the phone belonging to his associate. Meanwhile, Birsa Munda Central Jail Superintendent Hamid Akhtar was also questioned by ED officials on Monday for not shifting CM Pankaj Mishra, to jail even after being discharged by the doctors.