Medical interns and students who participated in the free Sebaashray health camps organised by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee in his Diamond Harbour constituency during the previous Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal are set to be questioned by state health department officials and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The probe follows allegations of gross irregularities in the conduct of the camps, which were run during the prior TMC administration.

What the Investigation Will Examine

Investigators intend to determine whether the medical interns and students attended the Sebaashray camps voluntarily or were coerced by senior authorities or political figures. A state health department official confirmed that this distinction will shape the course of action taken against each participant.

'They would like to know from the medical interns and medical students whether they participated in the Sebaashray health camps voluntarily or whether they were under some kind of pressure either from their higher authorities or any political leader to do so,' the official said.

Consequences for Participants

If voluntary participation is established, the state education department may issue a formal caution and seek written undertakings from the interns and students, committing them not to attend any private health camps until they are licensed as qualified doctors. However, if coercion is proven, the matter will be referred to the police for action under applicable legal provisions.

Investigators will also probe whether participants operated independently or under the supervision of qualified senior doctors, and whether they had any knowledge of the sources of medicines and medical equipment used at the camps.

'In case the medical interns and medical students were forced to operate independently in absence of supervision of any qualified person, then it is one of the dangerous practices as far as medical ethics are concerned. The organisers in these camps have not only played with the patients but also the future of the medical students and interns,' the health department official said.

Assembly Revelations by Chief Minister Adhikari

On 25 July, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari addressed the West Bengal Assembly on the last day of the extended Budget Session, displaying photographs of patients who allegedly lost limbs following treatment received at the Sebaashray camps. He also read out a letter purportedly written by a doctor alleging corruption and irregularities in the functioning of the camps during the previous government's tenure.

Without naming Abhishek Banerjee directly, CM Adhikari stated that once the charges were proved, the 'mastermind nephew' would be behind bars and would never come out. Last week, Adhikari had announced on the Assembly floor that the parallel investigation would be conducted by both the CID and the West Bengal Police.

Background and Broader Implications

The Sebaashray health camps were positioned as a community welfare initiative under the previous TMC government, operating within Abhishek Banerjee's Diamond Harbour parliamentary constituency. The current BJP-led state government's decision to launch a dual-agency probe — involving both the CID and the health department — signals an escalation in political and administrative scrutiny of the camps. Notably, the involvement of medical students and interns in camps allegedly lacking qualified supervision raises serious questions about regulatory oversight in West Bengal's public health infrastructure. How the state responds to evidence of coercion versus voluntary participation will set a precedent for accountability in politically-affiliated health outreach programmes.