ED raids in Bengal over medical admission irregularities

Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials were conducting raids at multiple locations in West Bengal in connection with irregularities in the medical admissions under the non-resident Indian (NRI) quota.

The raids and search operations were concentrated in multiple locations in Salt Lake.

At the same time, simultaneous raid and search operations were taking place at Haldia in East Midnapore district, Durgapur in West Burdwan, Budge Budge in South Parganas and Birbhum among others.

Each raiding team was escorted by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel.

Sources said irregularities or crores of rupees in medical admissions mainly occurred in some private medical colleges operating from the state.

The sources said in Haldia, the raid and search operations were being conducted at the residence of the former CPI(M) Lok Sabha member from Tamluk Lakshman Seth, who runs an NGO operating private medical and dental colleges at Haldia.

At Birbhum, the private medical college where the ED raid and search operations were going on was owned by businessman Malay Pith, whose name first surfaced in the multi-crore cattle smuggling case.

Eight private medical colleges operating out of West Bengal were under the ED scanner.

The sources said that the ED started the investigation based on a complaint filed by the Electronic Complex Police Station under Bidhannagar City Police.

The irregularities in medical admissions under the NRI quota were first highlighted by the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari in September.

Suvendu Adhikari alleged that many such admissions involved the production of fake certificates against hefty cash transactions.

He also accused some senior officials attached to the State Health Department of being involved in the irregularities.