Tripura: Graft-accused ex-minister arrested from hospital alleges police torture

“The police beat me and my wife up. I was forcefully brought here (from the hospital)”, Choudhury shouted out to mediapersons gathered around the police station as he was dragged inside.

Graft accused Tripura ex-minister Badal Choudhury arrested in Hospital

Tripura ex-minister Badal Choudhury was arrested in Hospital. His treatment is being continued but under police watch ( Express Photo by Debraj Deb)

Tripura ex-minister Badal Choudhury, who was accused in Rs. 638.40 crore graft case, was Wednesday brought from the ICU of a private hospital in Agartala to West Agartala Police Station, where he said he was tortured and verbally abused by the police.

“The police beat me and my wife up. I was forcefully brought here (from hospital),” Choudhury shouted out to mediapersons gathered around the police station as he was dragged inside. He was kept inside the lock-up at the police station, where he complained about breathing problems. An ambulance was rushed to the police station along with doctors who held ECG and other diagnostic tests on him.

Soon after, Choudhury was taken to state-run Gobinda Ballabh Pant (GBP) Hospital in Agartala, where a team of medical officers headed by Dr.Rajesh Debbarma and Dr. Ajit Choudhury are treating him. Dr. Ajit Choudhury is the elder brother of the ex-minister.

While being wheeled away to ICU, Choudhary alleged that Officer in-charge of West Agartala police station Subrata Chakraborty abused and manhandled him. “Subrata Chakraborty, OC of West Agartala police station, abused at me, caught me by the neck and shoved me inside the lock-up. I was forced from the hospital. My wife was manhandled,” he said.

The incident occurred shortly before hearing for a bail plea for Badal Choudhury began at the High Court of Tripura. The hearing is underway in a single bench of the High Court, presided by Justice Arindam Lodh.

Badal, who served four terms in previous Left Front governments as a PWD minister, was booked in an FIR registered at West Agartala Police Station on October 13 along with former PWD Engineer-in-Chief Sunil Bhowmik and former Chief Secretary Yashpal Singh. Choudhury was untraced for six days after the FIR was registered. He was later found admitted at ICU of a private hospital.

His counsel Arindam Bhattacharjee and Raghunath Mukherjee said hospital authorities didn’t want to discharge him since he had blood clot in his brain after he suffered a mild stroke a few days back. “He (Choudhury) might suffer from stroke if exposed to stress but police forced him to the police station. They manhandled him and his wife. We have informed the High Court about the whole situation,” Mukherjee said.