Saradha scam accused and suspended TMC MP Kunal Ghosh makes failed suicide bid; Mamata Banerjee suspends three prison officials

Saradha scam accused and suspended Trinamool MP Kunal Ghosh on Friday allegedly attempted suicide in Alipore Central Jail. The special crime branch of CBI said it will ask jail authorities how he got access to the medicines.

West Bengal Correctional Home Services Minister HA Swafi said, "Kunal Ghosh allegedly tried to commit suicide by taking sleeping pills inside the jail."

"Kunal Ghosh claimed that he has taken sleeping pills to commit suicide. He later on called the doctor and they found everything to be normal but still as a precautionary measure we did not take any chance and got him admitted to the SSKM Hospital," the minister said.

"The doctor was called and they found everything to be normal but still as a precautionary measure we did not take any chance and got him admitted to the SSKM Hospital," Swafi added.

SSKM Director Pradip Mitra said Ghosh is out of danger.

Superintendent of Presidency Correctional Home, jail doctor and on duty staff were suspended in connection with the alleged suicide attempt by Ghosh as the West Bengal government constituted a committee to probe the incident.

Making a statement to this effect in the state Assembly, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Home Secretary Basudeb Banerjee would head the committee which would probe the incident.

CBI sources said, "It is a matter of "great concern" and "very difficult" to understand how Ghosh got access to medicines and subsequently allegedly tried to commit suicide after consuming medicines."

On November 10, Ghosh had threatened to commit suicide if the CBI did not take proper action against 'those involved' within three days in front of a magistrate when he was produced before a city court.

The special crime branch of CBI had arrested Ghosh on November 23 last year for his alleged involvement in the Saradha ponzi scam.

Ghosh, a journalist by profession and a former CEO of Saradha Group firm Bengal Media Ltd, had claimed that the CBI had not acted on the files of Bengal Media that were shown to him or against those he had named. He also claimed that the Kolkata Police commissioner had stood by Saradha Group CEO and main accused Sudipta Sen, who was also in the dock of the court room along with Ghosh, during a function and had said that he was good person.