Arrested Bengal minister Jyotipriyo Mallick's health condition stable: confirm doctors

The health condition of West Bengal Forest minister Jyotipriyo Mallick arrested by the ED in a money laundering case linked to an alleged multi-crore ration distribution scam was stable, an official said on Saturday.

Mallick was remanded to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody for 10 days by a court here following his arrest by the central agency. The minister had fainted during a hearing in the court here and was rushed to a city hospital for immediate medical care on Friday.

"The minister had a good sleep in the night. He made no complaints regarding experiencing any uneasiness," a senior doctor, who is part of the team monitoring Mallick's health condition, at the hospital said.

"Mallick has been admitted with an initial diagnosis of hyperglycaemia, renal impairment, dyselectrolytemia, and pre-syncope with a background of T2DM and hypertension," the hospital said in a bulletin on Friday night. Mallick underwent a CT scan, MRI, and blood tests, the doctors said.

The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Calcutta Tanumoy Karmakar on Friday granted the ED's plea for custody of the minister and remanded him to the central agency's custody for 10 days till November 5.

The ED said it needed to take Mallick into custody to question him in connection with the alleged ration scam, claiming that they have found his links with one Bakibur Rahaman, who was arrested nearly a fortnight ago in the case.

Since the minister fell ill in the courtroom, the court allowed his treatment at a private hospital of his choice, following which he could be shifted to Command Hospital in the city if required.

The ED had earlier arrested Bakibur, believed to be a confidant of the minister, whose remand is ending this week.