Saying that the pandemic had pushed people into “poverty and paved the way for such abominable instances”, Gogoi added, “I humbly request you to instruct the police to initiate an enquiry and verify the substance of these media allegations.”
The Congress’ Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, has written to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, urging her to initiate an inquiry into the alleged involvement of a Kolkata-based hospital in a human organ racket.
In the letter dated Thursday, the MP from Kaliabor in Assam wrote: “As per villagers’ statement, the racket targeted villagers who were under financial distress under the pretext of paying them about Rs 3-4 lakh in exchange of kidney. The links of the racket have been traced to Kolkata…all activities happened at the Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences, Kolkata.”
Saying that the pandemic had pushed people into “poverty and paved the way for such abominable instances”, Gogoi added, “I humbly request you to instruct the police to initiate an enquiry and verify the substance of these media allegations.”
The Congress MP said that “in the hour of grief, we must stand in solidarity with the victims”.
The Assam Congress on Thursday demanded a CBI inquiry into the allegations of illegal kidney trade. Congress state unit President Ripun Bora in a memorandum to Governor Jagadish Mukhi alleged that the illegal kidney trade had been going on for the last five years under the BJP rule.
The alleged organ racket first came to light in Assam’s Morigaon district earlier this week and two people were arrested. The police in Nagaon and Dibrugarh districts have also registered cases in the matter.
Bora claimed that more than 140 kidney donors were taken to Kolkata by agents from various districts with a promise to pay them Rs four to five lakh each but the donors were paid much less.
“There is every reason to believe that such illegal racket of selling human organs could not have been possible unless there was some support from higher-ups in the government,” alleged the Congress leader.
A report from Nagaon said an FIR was registered at the Nagaon Sadar police station on Thursday after a person alleged that a fellow villager took him to Kolkata, promising a high-salaried job. He was introduced to another agent who allegedly offered him Rs four lakh for a kidney but he refused. He managed to flee, returned home and filed a complaint, said the police.
The complainant also claimed that many people from the village had gone to Kolkata and sold their kidneys.
In Dibrugarh, a 45-year-old tea garden worker claimed that he sold his kidney at a hospital in Kolkata in April through an agent for Rs 3.5 lakh as he was in dire need of money. According to sources, several other people from the same tea estate did the same.
Source: The Indian Express
