Jyotipriya Mallick Arrest: Minister Hospitalised After Fainting In Court. Condition Stable, Says Hospital

Bengal Forest Minister Jyotipriya Mallick has been remanded to ED custody till November 6, in connection to a case of alleged corruption in ration distribution in Bengal

Bengal forest minister Jyotipriya Mallick has been sent to ED custody for 10 days.

West Bengal minister Jyotipriya Mallick, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Friday, was hospitalised after he fainted in the Bankshal court during his remand hearing. He is now stable, said the authorities of the private healthcare facility.

Mallick complained of dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and weakness in the left arm. Mallick has been remanded to ED custody till November 6, in connection to a case of alleged corruption in ration distribution in Bengal, reported news agency PTI.

"Mallick has been admitted with an initial diagnosis of hyperglycaemia, renal impairment, dyselectrolytemia, and pre-syncope with a background of T2DM and hypertension," the hospital said in a bulletin. Mallick underwent a CT scan, MRI, and blood tests, the doctors said.

The Bengal Forest Minister was remanded to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody for 10 days by Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Tanumoy Karmakar. The ED said that Mallick will have to be questioned in custody to trace his purported links with accused Bakibur Rahaman, who was arrested earlier in connection with the case. Mallick, however, said he was being framed by the BJP and the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. 

Turning down the 66-year-old minister's bail plea, the Bankshall court ordered him to be produced on November 6. The period of the Mamata Banerjee Cabinet minister's hospitalisation will be excluded from the ED custody period, the PTI reported.

The ED also froze Mallick's and his family's bank accounts, seized his mobile phones, and sent them for forensic examination. This marks the second instance of a TMC cabinet minister being arrested in corruption cases by central agencies. Last year, former minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested in a school jobs scam.

Following the forest minister's arrest, the BJP and the Trinamool Congress engaged in a political war of words. While the BJP alleged that Mallick had been involved in the ration scam since the outbreak of Covid-19, the TMC accused the saffron party of carrying out political vendetta. "People of Bengal were demanding the arrest of 'Chaal Chor' (ration thief) since the COVID-19 pandemic. Jyotipriya Mallick was given the name 'Chaal Chor' by entire West Bengal," BJP leader Rahul Sinha said.

However, TMC general secretary Kunal Ghosh countered: "We are going to start our agitation again once it is announced by Abhishek Banerjee. So, to divert [attention from] the issue, the BJP has arrested Jyotipriya Mallick by misusing the agencies."

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