The CBI on Friday put the lid on one of the most sensational crimes of the decade when it filed a closure report in court on the murder of deputy chief medical officer Y.S. Sachan and said he had committed suicide inside Lucknow jail.
Dr Sachan, arrested in April 2011 in connection with the NRHM scam, was later blamed for the murder of two CMOs, Dr Vinod Arya and Dr B.P. Singh, and exactly a day later, on June 22, 2011, he was found dead in an unused toilet of Lucknow jail.
In its closure report, the CBI said it had not found any evidence of murder and that all wounds were apparently self-inflicted. Basing its findings on the reports of AIIMS and CFSL, the CBI claimed it had cross-examined over 100 policemen and jail inmates. The report said no evidence was found of anyone being present in the toilet where the deputy CMO was found dead. The CBI said it had scanned CCTV footage of the jail and main gate which did not reveal any suspicious movement of any vehicle on June 22, 2011, when the body was found.
The Asian Age had published a report on August 9 saying the CBI was preparing for a “quiet burial” of the case and the CBI had denied the same.
Sachchinand Gupta, on whose petition the Allahabad high court had directed the CBI to take up investigations in July last year, has outrightly rejected the CBI report. “The CBI report has been prepared under pressure from certain quarters. The chief judicial magistrate had already said that it was a clear case of murder but the CBI apparently wants to save some influential people. I will challenge this report in court,” he said. In fact, the UP government asked the CBI to probe Dr Sachan’s death after the judicial inquiry confirmed he had been killed.
Sachan’s family also rejected the CBI findings and insisted there was sufficient evidence to prove the deputy CMO was murdered. “The CBI report is disappointing and unfortunate,” said the slain doctor’s widow, Malti Sachan.
It is worth noting that according to the post-mortem examination report, Dr Sachan’s arteries were found cut at eight places — neck, arms, wrists and groin — and each cut measured around eight to nine inches. His body was found hanging with a belt and the marks around the neck were a result of post-mortem injuries.