Santosh tied to a bed at NBMCH on Tuesday. Telegraph picture

Siliguri, April 16: A 21-year-old SFI supporter was kept in the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital with his leg cuffed to a bed all night, the CPM has alleged.

Santosh Sahani, a Surya Sen College student who stays in Siliguri’s Bagrakote, was arrested with around 50 Left activists and leaders on April 10 after a Trinamul-Left clash in the town.

The superintendent of the Siliguri Special Jail, where Santosh was initially lodged, said the youth was confined to the bed in the male general ward and cuffs were put on his leg as there was no guard to watch over him there.

Undertrials and convicts are generally kept in the guarded prison cell of the hospital, which was full last night.

Santosh seemed reluctant to speak after the commotion in hospital surrounding him.

Former CPM minister Asok Bhattacharya, who went to visit Santosh in NBMCH this morning, said: “He was unwell and had a headache on April 11. The jail authorities admitted him to the Siliguri district hospital (the same day) and he was discharged yesterday.”

But, according to Bhattacharya, doctors at the special jail examined him and advised that he be taken to NBMCH yesterday.

“This morning, when we went to see him, we learnt that he was tied to his bed and could not even go to the toilet,” Bhattacharya said. Santosh was confined to the bed for over seven hours, he said.

Sources in NBMCH said the six-bed prison cell in the hospital was full. “All beds in the cell were occupied, so Santosh was admitted to the male medical ward,” a source said.

Bhattacharya said: “Santosh told us that throughout the night he kept calling for help so that he could go to the toilet. But nobody came. This is inhuman. We will take legal steps for violation of human rights. We saw the handcuffs hanging from his leg.”

Sabyasachi Das, the NBMCH superintendent, said that when he had visited the ward in the morning and evening yesterday, he had not found the boy’s leg in cuffs and tied to the bed. “This morning he said he was tied to the bed all night,” Das said.

When asked about the matter, T.R. Bhutia, the superintendent of Siliguri Special Jail, said the lack of guards to keep a watch on Santosh had led to this. “We have 20 guards posted at the prison cell (in the hospital) round the clock. Our staff strength is not adequate to guard prisoners in the general wards. This is why we had to make such an arrangement yesterday,” he said.

When the jail needs guards at the hospital, it requests the police for personnel. Last night, though, no such request was made, said a jail source.

Several activists and lawyers today said Santosh’s case was one of human rights violation. Abhiranjan Bhaduri, the Siliguri branch secretary of the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights, said: “This is a violation of human rights. Nobody can be handcuffed, tied or fettered, unless permission is given by the judicial magistrate. We demand a thorough probe.”

Senior lawyer and human right activist, Gitanath Ganguli, said in Calcutta: “It is a clear case of violation of human rights. Victims have the liberty to move court and seek justice. The persons responsible should be prosecuted.”

Akhil Biswas, a senior advocate, said: “There are specific verdicts by the Supreme Court which state that handcuffs or fetters cannot be put on prisoners, unless there are specific conditions.”

Bhattacharya said that in the afternoon, he and other CPM leaders saw Santosh being taken for an MRI but without being given a wheelchair. “He was being taken without a wheelchair. When we drew the attention of the authorities to this, a wheelchair was given.”

Minister Gautam Deb said: “It is an unfortunate incident. The moment I learnt about the issue through media, I spoke to senior police officers and requested them that the cuffs be removed. Later, I was informed the cuffs had been removed.”