Health Secretary transferred hours after meeting with Suvendu Adhikari over saline row

Chaitali Chakraborty, the Special Secretary of the Health Department in West Bengal, was transferred on Wednesday evening, just hours after a meeting with Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari. Chakraborty, who held the position of Secretary for the Drugs and Equipment Division, was replaced by Shubhanjan Das. The timing of the transfer, following the meeting with Adhikari, has drawn attention, though no official reason for the move has been provided.

On Wednesday afternoon, Adhikari, along with BJP MLAs, visited the Health Department to meet with officials regarding the issue of contaminated saline. The group had received permission for the meeting, but when they arrived, they were initially blocked by the police. After the situation was clarified, the police allowed the meeting to proceed. Chakraborty, who was in charge of the Drugs and Supplies Department in the absence of Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam, participated in the discussion.

Adhikari raised concerns about the distribution of infected saline, which he claimed had been administered to pregnant women, potentially causing serious health risks. He demanded that the state government release the list of recipients who had received the contaminated saline in the past month, citing medical warnings that the saline could lead to kidney failure within six months of use. Adhikari also emphasized the need for transparency and accountability from the government regarding the issue.

After the meeting, Adhikari further criticized the government's handling of the situation and called for the resignation of those responsible for the distribution of the infected saline. Later that evening, Chakraborty was transferred from her position, and Shubhanjan Das was appointed as her successor in the Drugs and Supplies Department. While no official connection has been made between the meeting and the transfer, the timing of the decision has raised questions.