Sachan cremated amid high drama, family insists on CBI probe

Lucknow, Jun 24 (PTI) Amid high drama, the family of a
top medical officer, who died under mysterious circumstances
in a jail here in the north Indian city of Lucknow, on Friday
resisted his cremation demanding a CBI (Central Bureau of
Investigation) inquiry into the case but later yielded under
apparent police pressure to carry out the last rites.
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 of the police
and vowed not to cremate him till a case of murder was lodged
and a CBI inquiry ordered.
However, late in the afternoon, a police team of about
50 personnel reached the Sachan residence and handed over to
the family a copy of the post mortem report. An ambulance was
also brought to the residence and the body was taken to
Bhainsakund and cremated amid slogan shouting around 5.30 PM.
Sachan's brother R K Sachan said, "There was no
pressure of any kind. Decision to cremate the body was taken
with mutual consensus after some of our outstation relatives
arrived."
However, he said that he had no faith in the judicial
inquiry and wanted a CBI probe into the case, a demand
rejected by the Mayawati government.
"If required, we are ready to take legal recourse
(on the issue of CBI probe) and approach the apex court as we
have no faith in the ongoing judicial inquiry ordered by the
state government," he said.
A senior police officer dismissed suggestions that
police contemplated forcibly taking the body away for
cremation.
"It is the order of the Allahabad High Court to give
Sachan's family the post mortem report which has been done,"
the officer said.
The main accused in the murder of Chief Medical
Officer (Family Welfare) B P Singh, 52-year-old Sachan was
found dead under mysterious circumstances inside the Lucknow
district jail hospital on Wednesday night after which the
government ordered a judicial probe into the incident and
suspended five jail staffers, including a jailor.

The post mortem report revealed that there were injury
nine injury marks on the body, including neck, elbows, thigh
and wrist.
While the government termed it as a prima facie case
of suicide, the family members and opposition parties cried
foul, terming it as a murder and demanded a CBI inquiry into
the incident.
"There is no need for the CBI probe. This has been
informed to you (media) yesterday also by the Cabinet
Secretary," Principal Secretary Home Kunwar Fateh Bahadur told
reporters here.
Earlier in the day, the Lucknow bench of Allahabad
High Court directed the state government to provide the
autopsy report to the family of Sachan after an application
was moved seeking a second post mortem by an independent panel
of doctors like from AIIMS.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the case, State Human
Rights Commission also issued notices to five senior officials
of the government.
"The notice was issued by a member Justice Vishnu
Sahai seeking a reply by July 12," commission sources said.
Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh had said
yesterday that the death of the deputy CMO was caused by
"excessive bleeding" and that prima facie it was a case of
suicide.
"Prima facie it's a case of suicide, but as judicial
inquiry is being conducted into the incident, the facts will
come out soon," he had said, rejecting the demand for a CBI
probe.
"An application by doctor Sachan's wife Malti has been
sent late last night to top officials including Principal
Secretary (Home) and DIG Lucknow that an FIR be lodged and the
case should be investigated thoroughly," the Deputy CMO's
brother said earlier in the day.
He said those behind the "murder" should be identified
and punished.