Mamata meets Rose Valley scam-tainted MPs Sudip Bandopadhyay, Tapas Paul
BHUBANESWAR: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who arrived here on a three-day visit on Tuesday, met Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs Sudip Bandopadhyay and Tapas Paul at a private hospital.
Bandopadhyay and Paul, arrested by the CBI for their alleged involvement in the multi-crore Rose Valley scam, have been admitted to Apollo Hospitals since February 8.
Sources said Mamata spent around 30 minutes with the two MPs.The MPs, earlier admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack, were shifted to the private hospital as per the directives of the CBI Court. Interestingly, a CBI team was also present in the hospital when Mamata visited the two MPs.
Mamata then proceeded to Puri where she is scheduled to offer prayers at Jagannath Temple on Wednesday.
The State Police has made elaborate arrangements for the WB Chief Minister’s security who is a Z+ protectee. A DG-ranked officer of WB Police is accompanying her.
The Puri Circuit House, where Mamata will stay till April 20, has been sanitised and declared as a safe house by the State Police.
While the top floor of the Circuit House has been booked by the district police for the last two days, the periphery is being manned by one platoon force who are mounting surveillance with technical and logistic support from a CCTV set up.
A 30-member police team from WB, which has been divided into two units, has been camping at Puri and Bhubaneswar for the last two days. The Twin City and Puri police have intensified patrolling and picketing at sensitive locations. The WB police team is headed by Additional DG Police (Security) Sanjoy Mukherjee who is coordinating the security with Odisha cops.
Sudip breaks down during meet
Bhubaneswar: TMC MP Sudip Bandopadhyay broke down during the one-on-one 30-minute meeting with his party supremo. Mamata was accompanied by her Cabinet colleague Arup Biswas to the hospital where both Sudip and another TMC MP Tapas Paul are admitted. Speaking to mediapersons after the meet, Mamata said Sudip was treated badly at the Special Jail here.
He suffers from heart ailments and his health condition has deteriorated to a great extent, she said. “I will stay here till Thursday. If time permits, I will to meet him (Sudip) again,” Mamata added.