The multi-crore National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam in Uttar Pradesh claimed its fourth victim when Sunil Verma, an official who is a suspect in the case, allegedly shot himself dead at his residence in Lucknow on Monday morning.
Verma, project manager of Construction and Design Services in the UP Jal Nigam, allegedly shot himself dead with his licensed revolver. He had been interrogated by the CBI on January 4 and his house was later raided by agency officials. The official was said to be under tremendous pressure.
The CBI had included Verma’s name in the first FIR related to the upgradation of 134 hospitals across UP for `13.4 crore by Cons-truction and Design Servi-ces. The name of former UP family welfare minister Babu Singh Kushw-aha also figured in the same FIR. The CBI maintained it is also investigating alleged irregularities in utilisation of funds released under the Centrally-sponsored programme in the state during SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s tenure between 2005 and 2007.
According to reports, Ver-ma shot himself at around 8.30 am and was immediately rushed to Shekhar Hospital where he was declared brought dead. The body was later sent for a post-mortem examination.
His relatives claimed Verma was being pressured by his bosses to conceal facts while the CBI was persuading him to reveal the truth. Talking to reporters in Lucknow, DIG D.K. Thakur said, “Sunil Verma has shot himself dead and his son told us that CBI had interrogated him on January 4 and he was under stress. His family feels he committed suicide because of that only.” The CBI, however, claimed he was neither questioned by the agency in the case nor asked to appear for questioning. The CBI, which questioned four UP Jal Nigam officials, including B.M. Srivastava, and UP Small Industries Corporation officials at its headquarters in Delhi on Monday, sought a report from the Lucknow police on the alleged suicide. CBI officials also collected some documents, including the visitors’ register, from UP Bhavan in New Delhi. The CBI questioned three officials, including the manager, posted at UP Bhavan.
A suicide note, purportedly written by the deceased, said he had done no wrong while implementing schemes under his department, but the CBI raided him, he was depressed and had decided to kill himself.