Tainted ex-Tripura minister ‘dragged’ from hospital bed to lockup

Agartala: The drama following the arrest of former Tripura minister and main accused in the Rs 600 crore PWD scam, Badal Choudhury, continued on Wednesday with the senior CPI-M leader being shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the government-run GDP Hospital in Agartala after he was put inside the lock-up of West Agartala police station.

When Choudhury was taken to the police station on Wednesday, he was seen shouting, “My wife and I have been dragged to the police station and beaten up by the police. I have been brought here forcefully.”

Coming down heavily on the behaviour of the state police over the treatment meted out to the sitting MLA, Arindam Bhattacharjee, counsel of the accused, said that the High Court of Tripura was hearing the case of former PWD minister since Wednesday morning. However, Tripura Police personnel forcefully took him out of the private-run ILS hospital on Wednesday. Soon after that, he was brought to the police station and forcefully pushed into the lockup, Bhattacharjee alleged.

Almost 30 minutes after being inside the lockup, Choudhury complaint of chest pain. Later, following advice from the attending doctors, he was shifted to the ICU of GBP Hospital. Following his arrest, Choudhury was under treatment at ILS hospital since October 21.

Meanwhile, the High Court of Tripura, after hearing the arguments of both sides regarding the bail plea of the accused on Wednesday morning till 4 pm, kept the order on hold.

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Commenting on the allegations, state advocate general, Arun Kanti Bhowmik said, “The former state minister was discharged from ILS hospital. While discharging him from the hospital, a team of doctors, investigating officers had accompanied him. The allegation of manhandling him is baseless and false. He is trying to mislead the court by putting allegations against the officers.”

Meanwhile, the counsel of Choudhury, PR Barman, said, “We saw a video clipping on social media where Choudhury was seen dragged and pushed behind the bars in West Agartala police station by the police officers.”

“He cannot walk and is not in a condition to even speak. But the officials concerned dragged him from the hospital bed and put him behind lockup. This is an inhuman act by the police towards a sitting MLA and former minister. The hospital authorities were pressured to discharge him from the hospital. Due to the ill behavior towards the former minister, his health condition has deteriorated again. This is a shameful and condemnable act by the state police,” Barman regretted.