Suicide attempt makes Saradha scam murkier
Suspended Trinamool Congress MP and Saradha scam prime accused Kunal Ghosh's suicide attempt inside Presidency prison has raised several uncomfortable issues. First, it points towards glaring lapses in the security system of what is supposedly one of the country's best fortified prisons. Even if Mr Ghosh was not a high-profile undertrial, a suicide attempt by an inmate reflects poorly on the security apparatus within the jail premises. What makes the authorities look worse is the fact that Mr Ghosh had threatened to commit suicide only three days ago and, therefore, should have been closely monitored. Indeed, additional security protocols were put in place after he threatened to commit suicide, including additional pat-downs and a cell check every two hours by a senior warden. That he still managed to attempt ending his life, points to a severe dereliction of duty on the part of prison officials, who must be held responsible. Mr Ghosh reportedly consumed 22 to 30 anti-anxiety pills in a bid to end his life. The obvious question here is: How did he have access to so many pillsIJ The answer is simple: Prisons are notorious for smuggling channels through which special food items, personal hygiene items and even SIM cards are brought in. It is entirely possible that Mr Ghosh, like any other inmate, managed the pills using some incentive to the staff.
But Mr Ghosh is not just any other inmate; he is an undertrial who has been charged with engineering a multi-crore, inter-State financial scam that could very well shake the foundations of the Government in West Bengal. In fact, when he had threatened suicide early last week, he had made it clear that he would take the extreme step, unless law enforcement authorities acted upon his revelations against top leaders of the Trinamool Congress, including party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Previously, Mr Ghosh had insisted the Central Bureau of Investigation jointly interrogate Ms Banerjee and him. The suggestion was ignored, but Mr Ghosh remains a thorn in the side of the Trinamool Congress and the Government it leads in West Bengal. Against this backdrop, it is not surprising that conspiracy theories about Friday's incident being a case of attempted murder, are doing the rounds. Given that Mr Ghosh had already threatened to commit suicide, it must have been tempting for somebody to ensure that he takes his threat seriously.
Also, the Mamata Banerjee Government's callous response to the massive Saradha scam has added fuel to fire. Too many people too close to the top leadership have come under the Saradha shadow; and quite a few of their alleged crimes are simply too big to written off as one more case of minor financial impropriety by politicians. For example, there is enough evidence to strongly suggest that some TMC leaders used the money from the Saradha scam to fund the activities of Jamaatis in Bangladesh, who in turn had sought to remove Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from power. Unfortunately, Ms Banerjee's Government has been reluctant to allow a thorough probe. This has only given credibility to the speculation that she, her party and her Government are actively shielding the guilty, if not protecting themselves.