IMA questions Dr Sen over ‘ghost’ account
The Statesman | 28 September 2025A three-member inquiry committee questioned Dr Sen and other office bearers of the Journal of Indian Medical Association (JIMA), in connection with the alleged “ghost” savings bank account in the name of ‘JIMACON Kolkata’ opened with the Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) in 2015. The committee sought clarifications on why such an account was opened using the head office PAN.
“We interrogated Dr Sen and other office bearers of the JIMA on Friday. Most of them, including chartered accountant Rana Basu, confessed that they know nothing about the ‘ghost’ savings account opened using the PAN number,” Dr Ajay Kumar, chairman of the inquiry committee, told The Statesman on Saturday.
Asked about the outcome of the inquiry and the action to be taken if Dr Sen was found guilty, Dr Kumar said: “Disciplinary action like suspension from the IMA and other legal steps may be initiated. We will submit our report to the IMA head office in Delhi which will decide the future course of action.”
The authorised signatories of the account were, Dr Anup Kumar Bhattacharya, JIMA editor, Dr Sen as honorary secretary, and Dr Ujjwal Sengupta as the honorary joint finance secretary, according to the letter. Dr Kakali Sen, Dr Sen’s wife, was also made honorary secretary during 2017-2018.
Dr Sen, who appeared before the committee in the city, said, “I faced the inquiry committee today and clarified everything in connection with the letter.”
“The former IMA national president Dr KK Agarwal had wanted to shift the JIMA office to Delhi from Kolkata showing a huge loss of around Rs 4 crore. We protested the move and opened the JIMACON savings account to raise funds between 2015 and 2017 for the JIMA. The conference was also held to save the journal and its office,” Dr Sen explained.
