BJP MLA and Bengal’s Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari has written to Union health minister Harsh Vardhan demanding a probe by central investigating agencies into the Kasba vaccine fraud.

In his letter sent on Friday, Adhikari has mentioned that Debanjan Das, the culprit accused of impersonating as a civil servant and administering fake Covid-19 vaccines to a few hundred people, was seen with ruling party ministers and senior leaders of the Trinamul. “…We have serious doubts about an impartial investigation from Calcutta police that follows instructions of the same government…,” Adhikar wrote.

The Nandigram MLA had also met the state’s health secretary on Friday along with a delegation of BJP MLAs. State BJP chief Dilip Ghosh has also demanded a CBI probe into the matter on Saturday.

Sources in the BJP said the party had decided to make the fake vaccine episode a political issue once the Assembly session begins on July 2.

Reacting to Adhikari ’s letter, state transport minister Firhad Hakim said: “Suvendu can do whatever he wants to. But this is Bengal and Mamata Banerjee will ensure that the culprit is brought to justice.”

The Calcutta district Left Front will submit a deputation at Kasba police station on Sunday demanding a thorough probe into the matter. It will also submit a deputation to Firhan Hakim at the Calcutta Municipal Corporation on July 6.

“We won’t demand a CBI probe. We just want the culprit to be brought to justice,” said CPM leader Rabin Deb.

Congress MP Pradip Bhattacharya said: “We have already demanded a judicial probe by a sitting judge of the high court. There could be a CBI probe as well to determine if the accused had any inside link to the corporation.”