Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Abhijit Das filed his second police complaint against Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and several others on Saturday, alleging widespread irregularities and medical malpractice at the Sipashrai health camps launched by Banerjee in 2025.
“Not only were medical students from government colleges brought to these camps and introduced as doctors, but X-ray and ECG machines were also brought and used in violation of national laws,” Das said. He lodged his complaint with Bishnupur police station in South 24 Parganas district where Banerjee is the Lok Sabha member from Diamond Harbour.
On July 1, Das lodged his first complaint at Diamond Harbor police station, based on which the police lodged a First Information Report (FIR) under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, the National Medical Commission Act and the West Bengal Medical Institutions Act.
Das also alleged in his complaint that USG machines were being used to determine the sex of the fetus before birth in violation of the rules laid down under the Pre-Pregnancy and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC & PNDT) Act, 1994.
His complaint mentioned Banerjee’s aides Sumit Roy and Ayan Ghosh Dastidar and TMC’s South 24 Parganas district leaders like Jehangir Khan and Saukat Molla, who were arrested in various criminal cases after the formation of the new BJP government.
The Diamond Harbor police filed a second FIR on July 3 based on a similar complaint from Sukhdeep Das, a local resident.
Bangladeshi Health Minister Dr. Shardwat Mukherjee, an oncologist, said his ministry had requested reports on the health camps.
“Students and non-medical staff were shifted from government hospitals to the camps. We have sought all reports for a thorough investigation,” Mukherjee said.
Despite the FIRs, Banerjee did not make any statement till Sunday evening.
TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh, a Mamata Banerjee loyalist, said the Sipashrai camps were not organized by the party. He said, “It would not be fair for me to comment because these camps were not carried out by the party. I do not know the details.”
Although Ghosh has stayed away from the issue, the TMC’s official website showed an exclusive page on Siba Ashri as of Sunday evening.
“From restoring vision among the elderly population to providing life-saving surgeries to children, Sipashrai has transformed the lives of thousands of people. This first-of-its-kind initiative launched by National Secretary General Shri Abhishek Banerjee on January 2, 2025, has redefined access to healthcare,” the website said.
“Having reached over 12.3 lakh people, the program has provided free consultations, diagnostic tests and essential medicines. Its impact is evident in the participation of residents even from remote areas, underscoring the demand for affordable and accessible healthcare. By bridging the gap between healthcare providers and underserved people, Sipashrai has set a new benchmark in community healthcare delivery,” he added.
