Suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh attempts suicide

Ghosh had said in court on Monday that he would commit suicide in 72 hours if he was not granted bail in the chit fund scam

Suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP and Saradha Media Group CEO, Kunal Ghosh, attempted suicide by consuming allegedly 30 to 40 pills in his prison cell. He is now in SSKM Hospital. Doctors at the hospital said he was stable.

ADG (Prisons) Adhir Sharma said, “We were informed this morning that Ghosh was feeling ill. He claimed to have consumed sleeping pills last night and this morning, though doctors found his vital parameters to be okay. Still we did not want to take chances and rushed him to the hospital.”

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee informed the Assembly about the incident. A probe has been ordered. The jail superintendent, doctor and guards on duty have been suspended and would remain suspended till the probe was over.

“At 2 am, he himself complained of uneasiness,” Banerjee said. “Why should (the) doctor give him 15 sleeping pills? Two or three sleeping pills could have been given to him ... Perhaps he did not take as many pills as reported. Doctors also said it could not be that he has taken so many pills,” she said.

However, it’s still unclear how many sleeping pills Ghosh actually consumed.

Ghosh had said in court on Monday that he would commit suicide in 72 hours if he was not granted bail and those in power not arrested.

Opposition leaders alleged foul play. “How could he access so many sleeping pills from his prison cell. It seems that the access was made easy for him,” one of them said.

Ghosh had accused TMC leaders of having benefitted from Saradha.

Ghosh was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) last year. He has been named in the first chargesheet as well, along with Sudipta Sen and Debjani Mukherjee. CBI officials were likely to visit the SSKM Hospital today to take stock of Ghosh’s health.