CM orders probe after family alleges eye theft at Barasat hospital
The Statesman | 27 November 2025
Tension flared up in Barasat on Tuesday after the family of a 34-year-old accident victim alleged that his eyes had been removed at Barasat Medical College and Hospital.
The protest intensified to the extent that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s convoy was stopped on Jessore Road while she was returning from a public meeting in Bongaon. After hearing the family’s allegations on the spot, the Chief Minister ordered a high-level inquiry and assured both financial support and a job for the victim’s mother from her own quota. According to the family, Pritam Ghosh, a resident of Barasat, was grievously injured around dawn on Monday when he was hit by a vehicle while crossing the road at Kazipara. Police shifted him to Barasat Medical College where doctors declared him dead. His post-mortem was conducted at the same hospital. However, when the body was handed over on Tuesday, family members claimed that Pritam’s eyes were intact when he was brought in, but missing when they received the body.
Alleging that his eyes had been “stolen” inside the hospital, they began a protest outside Barasat Bonmalipur Hospital in the morning and refused to accept the body. The family carried their protest onto Jessore Road and intercepted the Chief Minister’s convoy as it passed the hospital. They repeated their charge that Pritam’s eyes had been removed after his death. Miss Banerjee spoke to the aggrieved family for nearly 15 minutes, assured them that strict action would follow if anyone was found guilty and directed police and the hospital authorities to examine CCTV footage and submit a report at the earliest. She also promised immediate financial aid and a government job for Pritam’s mother.
Pritam, who had married only a year ago, leaves behind a 12-day-old child. Hospital authorities denied any wrongdoing but said a formal inquiry would begin soon. Dr Abhijit Saha, MSVP of Barasat Medical College and Hospital, said the family had approached him earlier with verbal allegations. “I had asked them to submit a written complaint so that we could form an inquiry committee. Before that could happen, they started the protest in front of the Chief Minister’s convoy,” he said, adding that the institution would follow the directives issued by Banerjee and constitute an investigation team without delay. The incident has sparked outrage in the area, with the family demanding exemplary punishment for those responsible. An official inquiry is expected to begin immediately.