BJP MP protests inside CMOH premises in Krishnagar

Biswabrata Goswami

Statesman News Service

KRISHNAGAR, 31 MAY: With BJP versus Mamata Banerjee politics taking center stage since the beginning of the coronavirus fight, the BJP MP from Ranaghat Jagannath Sarkar had to conduct a sit-in-protest demonstration inside the premises of the chief medical officer of health (CMOH) in Krishnagar today.

Sarkar and his party workers squatted on the floor inside the premises after the CMOH allegedly ignored to respond to his phone calls he made repeatedly and did not attend his office.

Venting his discontentment, Sarkar said, “Being an MP, I have some dignity. But, the CMOH has perhaps no knowledge of courtesy. He had given me a time to meet him, but he deliberately did not receive my calls and even he did not turn up to attend his office. I came here to submit a letter regarding harassment in the name of violation of pandemic protocols.”

Within hours after the state BJP president Dilip Ghosh and the party leader Sayantan Basu were stopped from visiting the cyclone-ravaged areas, Sarkar had faced ‘the ruling party’s wrath’, on 26 May.

Sarkar was not stopped by the police from visiting the cyclone-hit areas, but this time, the district health department had come forward and knocked on the door of his resident at around 3 am asking him to stay in home quarantine for the next 14 days as he visited quarantine centers.

In a letter (Memo no –CMOH/Nad/3332/171 dated 25.05.2020), the chief medical officer of health, Nadia said, “It has come to our knowledge that today i.e. on the 25 th May, 2020, in the afternoon, you have visited Quarantine Centers housed at Charbrahmanagar GSFP school, Bablaban GSFP school and Charmajdiya Govt Colony primary school in Nabadwip block where high risk asymptomatic persons returned from Maharashtra, Telengana and Andhrapradesh have been quarantined. It has also been learnt that you have interacted with some quarantined persons there, without taking required precautions and without maintaining prescribed social distancing norms……In this context of the above, you are hereby advised to be in strict Home quarantine for the next 14 days…”

Sarkar alleged that the steps against him have been taken on political intention to prevent him from conducting any social or political activities. “Within minutes after my visits at the quarantine centers, the former chairman of Nabadwip municipality BIman Krishna Saha had also visited the quarantine centers along with his more than 200 associates. The district health department, however, kept their eyes closed on this matter while they have served a letter advising me to stay in home quarantine”.

Later, Sarkar submitted his memorandum before the representatives of the district magistrate in the collectorate office.