On a day of high drama, the family of a top medical officer who died under mysterious circumstances, yielded to apparent the police pressure to cremate him after receiving the post mortem report.
After the post mortem revealed that there were nine injuries on the body of deputy chief medical officer Y.S. Sachan, his family dismissed the suicide theory projected by the police and demanded that a case of murder be lodged and a CBI inquiry ordered.
Late in the afternoon, a police team reached the Sachan residence and handed over a copy of the post mortem report. An ambulance was also brought to the residence and the body was taken to Bhainsakund for cremation.
Sachan’s brother R.K. Sachan, who had earlier stated that the body would be cremated only after a CBI inquiry is instituted, later said since the matter will come before the high court only on July 18 it was not possible to preserve the mortal remains till then.
Asked whether the family had dropped its insistence for a CBI probe, Sachan’s relatives said, “we will continue to fight to see that the guilty are brought to justice”.
A senior police officer dismissed media speculation that police contemplated to forcibly take the body away for cremation.
“It is the order of the high court to give Sachan’s family the post mortem report which has been done,” the officer said.
52-year-old Sachan was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the toilet of the Lucknow jail hospital.
In the autopsy, injury marks were detected on the neck, elbows, thigh and left wrist besides a strangulation mark on the neck.
Taking suo motu cognisance of Sachan’s death, the StateHuman Rights Commission issued notices to five senior government officials asking them to respond by July 12.
Justice V. Sahay, member of the Commission, issued notices to the chief secretary, principal secretary home, ADG jails, district magistrate and SSP Lucknow, SHRC sources.
“The ligature mark on Sachan’s neck raises doubt and Sahay has sought to know from the government whether it is a case of suicide or murder,” a Commission official said.
The Commission will take up the case for hearing on July 14.
For the second consecutive day, the Mayawati government made it clear that it would not accede to the demand for a a CBI inquiry into Sachan’s death.
“There is no need for the CBI probe. This has been informed to you (media) on Thursday also by the Cabinet secretary”, principal secretary, home, Kunwar Fateh Bahadur told reporters here when asked about it.
Pressing for a CBI probe, Sachan’s brother said, “the postmortem report clearly indicates that it’s a clear-cut case of murder”.
He said excessive bleeding has been mentioned as the cause of death in the autopsy report which indicates murder.
“Hanging cannot be caused by a belt. A doctor cannot inflict so many injuries on his own body as slitting one vein is sufficient to cause death,” he said.
“It is clear that first he was killed and later his body was dragged to the first floor and the incident was made to look as suicide,” he said.