Anil Deshmukh, ex Maharashtra minister, collapses in jail; rushed to hospital

Anil Deshmukh, former Maharashtra home minister and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, was on Friday rushed to the state-run JJ Hospital in Mumbai after he collapsed inside the premises of Arthur Jail where he has been lodged over a money laundering case.

A prison official was quoted as saying in reports that Deshmukh,72, felt dizzy and complained of chest pain. His blood pressure was found to have soared. The NCP leader is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital, the official added.

In a statement, JJ Hospital said that Deshmukh was brought by police at around 2pm with complaints of giddiness besides chest pain. “Patient is currently stable, treatment is going on and he is being further evaluated for the complaints given,” it added.

In April and May this year, the former Maharashtra minister was taken to hospital due to two different health-related matters. On April 2, he was rushed to JJ after he fell in the bathroom and dislocated his shoulder. A month later, on May 27, he was taken to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation-run KEM Hospital in Parel after he complained of chest pain and uncontrolled high blood pressure.

Deshmukh is lodged at Arthur along with his personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde in the money laundering case.

The NCP leader was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on November 2, 2021, based on the FIR filed by the CBI. The CBI case is based on allegations of corruption levelled by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh. Singh alleged that Deshmukh, when he was the home minister, had asked city cops to extort ₹100 crore from restaurants and bars in a bombshell letter to former CM Uddhav Thackeray. He resigned as a minister after the Bombay high court directed the CBI to register a case against him.

(With inputs from PTI)