An FIR has been lodged against Madan Mitra, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA, for allegedly threatening staff members at Kolkata’s SSKM hospital. The hospital management has condemned the incident and accused Mitra of intimidation.
The incident occurred on May 19, when a healthcare worker involved in a bike accident urgently needed treatment. However, the worker’s family claimed that he was made to wait for six hours without receiving any medical attention. After being informed about the situation, Mitra reportedly rushed to the hospital and expressed his frustration towards the on-duty medical staff.
During the altercation, Mitra made inflammatory remarks about the state government-run hospital, alleging the involvement of brokers and middlemen in admitting patients for monetary gain. He expressed dissatisfaction, comparing the current situation to when the Left Front government was in power, claiming that patients were admitted within minutes.
The director of SSKM hospital, Dr. Monimoy Banerjee, firmly stated that the hospital would not tolerate any form of hooliganism and had a zero-tolerance policy to protect healthcare workers. Following this, a written complaint was submitted to the Bhawanipur police station against Madan Mitra and others involved.
Madan Mitra defended his actions, emphasizing that he had not visited the hospital to engage in hooliganism or receive any financial benefits. He clarified that his purpose was to facilitate the admission of a seriously ill patient, which he considered his responsibility as a public representative.
Regarding the registered case against him, Mitra stated that his lawyers would handle it and expressed disinterest in discussing what he deemed frivolous charges, as he believed he had not committed any wrongdoing.