Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday accused Diamond Harbour MP and Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee of running his flagship doorstep healthcare camps ‘Sebashray’ through large-scale anomalies that allegedly left several patients, including women and children, permanently disabled.

Suvendu alleged that medical students, who were not legally qualified to provide treatment, were made to attend to patients at the camps where radioactive substances were also allegedly used in illegal ways.

Addressing the Assembly while responding to a demand raised by a BJP MLA, a day after the issue had rocked the House, Suvendu said multiple criminal cases had already been registered at the Bishnupur police station in South 24-Parganas and that an extensive investigation was underway.

According to the chief minister, South 24-Parganas police, the Special Task Force of the CID and a panel of medical experts have been tasked with probing the allegations to ensure “exemplary punishment” for those responsible.

He announced that the Bengal government had sought assistance from the secretary of the department of atomic energy, government of India, and the chairperson of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board after allegations surfaced that radioactive materials had been used illegally at the camps.

Abhishek had launched Sebashray as a large-scale free healthcare outreach programme, primarily covering his Diamond Harbour parliamentary constituency with the stated objective of delivering doorstep medical services to underprivileged and rural residents. The initiative began in January 2025 and, following a large public response, a second phase, ‘Sebashray 2’, was held between December 2025 and January 2026, expanding to areas, including Nandigram and Barrackpore.

The programme, however, after the BJP assumed power in Bengal, came under scrutiny after allegations started to emerge that the camps had been conducted without mandatory government approval. It was alleged that unauthorised medical equipment, expired medicine were used, radioactive substances handled illegally and several healthcare workers and intern doctors were compelled to render medical services beyond the scope of their qualifications.

The allegations raisedby Falta BJP MLA Debanshu Panda triggered a political storm in the Assembly on Friday, with the party demanding that the chief minister make a detailed statement on what it described as a major medical scam linked to the Trinamool leader. Adhikari had assured the House that he would respond on Saturday.

Speaking in the Assembly, Suvendu said: “A big scam has emerged. This is related to bhaipo’s (Abhishek’s) Sebashray camps. Several cases have already been filed at Bishnupur police station.”

Displaying photographs of alleged victims, including women and children who had reportedly lost limbs or become crippled following treatment, the chief minister claimed gross medical negligence had taken place. “What he (Abhishek Banerjee) has done is horrible…..Murderous”, he said.

“Ultrasound (USG) and X-ray machines were taken outside authorised medical facilities and used at the camps. Doctors from government hospitals were deployed there. Even medical students who are still undergoing training were made to treat patients. Are these students eligible to provide medical treatment? What happened at these Sebashray camps is nothing short of an attempt to murder,” Suvendu alleged.

“No one will be able to save Abhishek Banerjee.”

The chief minister claimed that investigating agencies had seized ultrasound and X-ray machines used at the camps. “We have also seized medicines from the godown of Trinamool leader Dilip Mandal that date back to 2021. It means the medicines administered to patients had already expired,” he alleged.

Suvendu read out a letter purportedly written by Rajib Biswas, a junior doctor in the radiology department of Diamond Harbour Medical College and Hospital. In the letter, the doctor purportedly stated that he had been directed to perform duties at the Sebashray camps under instructions from Shamim Ahmed, whom the chief minister described as a close aide to Abhishek.

Suvendu said letters had been sent to district magistrates of South 24-Parganas and East Midnapore seeking detailed reports on expenditure incurred from the government exchequer and the number of government doctors deployed for the Sebashray camps.

“We have treated every complaint received from victims of these camps as an FIR. Abhishek and all his associates who were involved will not be spared. Time will speak for itself,” the chief minister added.

Original source: in