A health department clerk Mahendra Sharma was found dead today in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh.
While the police said the death is a prima facie case of suicide, questions are being raised about the claim.
The death of the suspended health department clerk is linked with the National Rural Health Mission scam allegedly going on in the state. If proved, Sharma’s death will be the fifth one in relation with the scam.
Deceased Mahendra Sharma. Image courtesy ibnlive
Sharma was also missing for the last nine days.
Police said the body was recovered on the floor of Sharma’s official residence at 4pm on Wednesday.
“The post mortem on the body is currently on,” said Ajit Chandra, superintendent of police of Lakhimpur Kheri.
Reacting to the incident, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, president, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee said, “It is a shocking incident. It confirms that huge bungling of funds in NRHM. It is clearly a case of murder.”
“This is really shocking. The roots of the scam goes deeper. It was the responsibility of the CBI to give him protection,” said Balbir Punj from the BJP.
Sharma’s family members are crying foul and are demanding a proper postmortem.
“The chief medical officer had threatened my husband to sign some files or lose his life. Exactly that’s what happened as my husband refused to sigh those papers,” Sharma’s wife said.
The name of the chief medical officer is yet to be revealed.
“My father also suffered head injuries and he was murdered days back as a foul stench was emanating from his body,” Sharma’s son said.
Following the death Sunil Verma on 23 January this year, who worked as a project manager, the Allahabad High Court directed the CBI to inquire into the misuse of NRHM funds. CBI, while probing the scam, has been carrying out searches at the houses of various officials, including bureaucrats and businessmen associated with the family welfare department.
Earlier two chief medical officers and a deputy CMO were murdered.
Watch a CNN-IBN video below:
