Mamata discharged from hospital after condition improves

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was released from SSKM Hospital on Friday evening after she responded well to the treatment, according to doctors.

After almost 48 hours of being badly injured during an alleged attack at Birulia of Nandigram in the East Midnapore district, Banerjee was released with adequate medical instructions following her repeated insistence though the six-member medical board felt the need to keep her under observation for another 48 hours. This comes when she is already scheduled to resume her poll campaign from Monday onwards with two back-to-back rallies in Jhargram, even in a wheelchair.

The medical board that took the decision to release her on Friday after considering all parameters will re-examine her health condition again after a week and she has been advised to follow certain restrictions as she had received severe bone injury on her left ankle.

The TMC chief came out of the hospital in a wheelchair, greeting people, with plaster casing on her left ankle, wearing plaster shoes and she was accompanied by her nephew and Trinamool Youth Congress president Abhishek Banerjee and other senior party leaders, including Firhad Hakim. She left the hospital in a car and reached home amidst tight security. There was a loud cheer of her party workers when she came out of the hospital.

Dr Manimoy Bandyopadhyay, Director of the SSKM Hospital, said: "The Chief Minister has shown great signs of improvement. The medical board examined her in the morning and they found satisfactory improvement. The doctors removed the plaster of her left leg to examine the condition of the injury. The size of the haematoma (blood suffusion) has diminished considerably. New plaster was done on her leg."

A senior doctor of the medical board said: "Restrictions have been imposed and explained to her and she has also agreed to follow them. She has also been advised not to take any strenuous work as her ankle injury is not fully improved and she has to use a wheelchair."

Banerjee was straight brought to Kolkata from Nandigram as she received injuries on her left ankle and waist in the alleged attack by four to five people who pushed the door of her car when she was greeting people standing on the footboard of the vehicle and admitted to Woodburn Ward of SSKM Hospital on Wednesday. She had also suffered severe chest pain.

Many eminent people including social activist Medha Patkar and Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Justice TBN Radhakrishnan visited SSKM Hospital to meet Banerjee.

A delegation of Trinamool Congress MPs led by Saugata Roy with Derek O'Brien, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Satabdi Roy submitted a deputation with the Election Commission of India in Delhi accusing the BJP of "playing a game" to restrict Banerjee from carrying out her poll campaign. Roy linked a series of social media posts and statements of BJP leaders with the incident hinting it to be a pre-planned attack on Banerjee. A delegation of BJP leaders, too, visited the office of the Election Commission in Delhi in similar connection.

Protesting against the incident, Trinamool Congress workers brought out silent marches across the state, including Birulia village, where the incident had taken place a few hours after Banerjee had filed her nomination.

The Election Commission had sought a report of the state Chief Secretary, Special Police Observer and Special Observer in this regard by March 12. Sources said the Chief Secretary has sent his report on Friday maintaining that there was heavy gathering at the place when the incident had taken place.

Special Observer Ajay Nayek and Special Police Observer Vivek Dubey visited Nandigram on Friday. They directed District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police of Jhargram, East and West Midnapore to be cautious about the security of VVIPs. Strict steps would be taken against concerned officers in case of any allegation regarding the security breach of any VVIP.

Sources said directions have also been given to ensure webcasting at all trouble-prone booths or else there will be re-polling. East Midnapore DM and SP have given a report regarding the Birulia incident to Dubey.

The Commission held a meeting over the Nandigram incident on Friday evening in which Nayek and Dubey were present through video conference.