Maharashtra’s ailing former deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who is being tried in alleged disproportionate assets and money laundering cases, was on Tuesday shifted from the State-run J J Hospital to the BMC-run KEM Hospital on Tuesday.
The development came five days after after NCP president Sharad Pawar shot off a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, warning the latter that the State Government would be held responsible if Bhujbal suffered any “untoward fate”.
Expressing serious concern about deteriorating health of Bhujbal who has been languishing in jail for the past two years, Pawar had said: “ I do not expect anything but proper medical treatment to Shri Chhagan Bhujbal which is his Constructional right. Knowing full well the overall health condition of Bhujbal and his advanced age, I am sure that you will direct that prompt steps be taken to ensure that proper medical treatment is administered to him”.
Family members and those close to Bhujbal have been pleading the State Government that since the JJ Hospital does not have super speciality departments dedicated to Hepato Pancreato Biliary (HPB) and Gastroenterology, he be shifted to some private super-speciality hospital. Bhujbal has been suffering from severe abdominal pains, diabetes and breathlessness.
On February 5 this year, MNS chief Raj Thackeray had extended his indirect support to incarcerated NCP leader, by saying that Bhujbal should have been released a long ago and advised the latter’s supporters to launch a “Chodo Bhujbal” to seek early release of the “tainted” leader.
Bhujbal was arrested by the Enforcement on March 14, 2016 in connection with two money laundering cases registered against him, his nephew Sameer Bhujbal, other family members and associates.
Bhujbals and their associates are being investigated in three corruption cases. Maharashtra’s Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) had filed a charge-sheet against Sr Bhujbal, Sameer and 15 others in the new Maharashtra Sadan scam case in February 2016.
The State ACB on March 28, 2016 filed a second voluminous charge-sheet against him and six others for having allegedly received huge kickbacks to lease a plot of land to a private developer for the construction of a central library at the Kalina campus of the Mumbai University.
Subsequently On March 30, 2016, the ED filed a 11,500—page charge sheet against Chhagan Bhujbal, his son Pankaj, nephew Sameer, corporate houses like D B Realty, Balwa group of companies, Neelkamal Realtors and Builders Private limited, Neelkamal Central Apartment llP and Kakade Infrastructure, in the money laundering case.