After a woman claimed to have lost her right leg after undergoing treatment at a ‘Sebaashray’ medical camp, a fresh complaint has surfaced linked to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s health initiative.
A young girl’s family has now claimed that treatment advised through the programme ultimately resulted in the amputation of her right arm.
The child’s family on Wednesday submitted a written complaint to the Superintendent of Police of Diamond Harbour Police District, seeking a detailed investigation and registration of an FIR against Banerjee and several others.
According to the complaint, the girl, Kriti Manna, a resident of Bishnupur in South 24-Parganas district, was born with a rare and complex vascular disorder. The family said she had been under treatment since birth at several hospitals in Kolkata before being taken to Vellore for specialised care.
From March 2024, doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, reportedly began treating the child.
The family alleged that mounting medical expenses made it increasingly difficult to continue treatment at AIIMS. Hoping for financial assistance, they approached Trinamul Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee.
Instead of extending monetary support, they claimed, they were assured that the child would receive treatment through the “Sebashray” health camp functioning in the MP’s parliamentary constituency.
The complaint alleged that despite repeated attempts to seek help from doctors associated with the initiative, including Dr Santanu Sen and Dr Ayan Ghosh Dastidar, the family received little assistance and was allegedly subjected to discourteous behaviour.
The family further claimed that after meeting Banerjee at the Panakua “Sebashray” camp and renewing their plea for financial aid, the child was referred to R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital rather than being supported for continued treatment at AIIMS.
According to the family, the child’s condition continued to deteriorate, forcing them to seek treatment in Delhi and Bengaluru. Doctors there ultimately amputated her right arm from the shoulder in an effort to save her life.
The family has alleged that their trust in the MP’s assurances proved costly, claiming that timely financial assistance could have enabled uninterrupted treatment at AIIMS. They have also accused Banerjee of using the child’s photograph in a publication titled “Nirob Biplob”, highlighting development initiatives in his Lok Sabha constituency, without obtaining the family’s consent.
The complaint comes days after another family from Maheshtala alleged that faulty treatment at a “Sebashray” camp led to the amputation of a woman’s leg. That complaint prompted the state health department to seek details of the incident.
State health minister reportedly spoke to the family, while Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari also contacted them over the phone. There was no immediate response from Abhishek Banerjee or the organisers of the “Sebashray” initiative on the latest allegations. The claims have not been independently verified.