Tripura initiates magisterial probe on ruling BJP MLA

The BJP-led Tripura government has initiated a magisterial inquiry against its own MLA and axed health minister Sudip Roy Barman for entering in a COVID care center set up in Shahid Bhagat Singh Youth Hostel allegedly without ‘unauthorizedly’.

The magisterial inquiry order issued by the home department on August 04 says that it has been decided by the state government to conduct a magisterial inquiry on the issue in respect of the visit of Sudip Ropy Barman, MLA, in Shahid Bhagat Singh Youth Hostel COVID facility center on 2nd August in Tripura.

The order copy cited to conduct the inquiry on three issues including the nature of the breach of security, risk of the health of self and others, including others, and fixing of responsibility on all those who connived or facilitated and nature of connivance or facilitation.

The home department instructed the district magistrate (DM) of West Tripura District Sandeep N Mahatme to submit a report in detail to the department within 15th days.

On Sunday last, Roy Barman visited the COVID Care Centre soon after a pregnant lady who was COVID-19 positive and was undergone treatment in the COVID Care Centre circulated a video on Saturday showing the worst condition of the centre. Later she was referred to another COVID Care centre.

After his visit the DM has served a memo ordering Roy Barman to be put under institutional quarantine for seven days followed by seven more days of home quarantine as he has visited the.

However, Roy Barman defended him-self saying that ‘vested interested persons are trying to put him intentionally in institutional quarantine so that he can easily come in contact with others who have been tested positive, which would be hazardous to his health.

Roy Barman claimed that his visit to the COVID Care Centre was in the knowledge of the Director of Health Services, as well as the Medical Superintendent of GB Pant Hospital and thus his entry was not unauthorized.

Denying the health department memo, Roy Barman has said he would not be available for any sort of quarantine till he is tested and clinically assigned as COVID positive.

Also read: Manipur: Pregnant woman dies as hospitals refused admission for delivery

Earlier in May this year, the axed health minister Sudip Roy Barman has mounted a subtle attack on the party-led government over its handling of the Covid 19 situation.

This was evident from a letter he had written to Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb requesting him to blacklist the companies/traders who have provided ‘substandard materials’ of PPE kits, Hand Sanitizer to the state government. Roy Barman has also found a complete mess in the process & disbursement of the allocation of funds for those stranded due to the lockdown.

Barman was dropped from the Deb cabinet on June 01, 2019. Sources from BJP insiders informed that due to ‘anti-party activities’ Barman was dropped from State Cabinet. He is also known to have developed quite a few bones of contention with the CM in the last 1.5 years of their tenure as cabinet colleagues.

The content of the letter not only reflected his concern but was also a subtle attempt to embarrass the government by punching holes in the government's handling of the COVID situation, party insiders said.

Two legislators including BJP MLA Rampada Jamatia and ruling ally Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) legislator Dhnanjoy Tripura were earlier tested positive with coronavirus among others.

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