Odishatv Bureau
Lucknow: Mystery shrouded the death of a top medical officer in jail with opposition parties demanding a CBI probe alleging it was "murder" to save two former ministers of the Mayawati government and those involved in the killing of two Chief Medical Officers.

On its part, the state government ordered a judicial inquiry and suspended the jailor and four other staffers in connection with the death of deputy CMO Y S Sachan, the main accused in CMO B P Singh murder case, in Lucknow Jail on Wednesday.

A panel of five doctors conducted the post mortem of Sachan but details were not disclosed. The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court directed the state government to preserve Sachan`s viscera.

Sachan was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the toilet of the jail hospital last night with the police claiming it to be a case of suicide.

Sachan was named in CMO murder case as the main accused by police following the arrest of three persons by the Special Task Force on June 17. Singh was shot dead by unidentified persons on the morning of April 2.

Suspecting foul play, Congress said Sachan may have been murdered.

"He (Sachan) was arrested and last night, according to the government, he comitted suicide, but as per circumstances it does not look like that it was a suicide. May be the persons, who killed Dr (Vinod) Arya (another CMO) and Dr Singh, also have murdered Dr Sachan," Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said.

"Dr Arya was shot dead. We demanded CBI probe, but nothing has happened. Four months later Dr B P Singh was killed, even when he had filed a complaint with the police stating threat to his life and demanded security - but no security was provided. Rahul Gandhi himself sought information on this through RTI," he said.

Demanding immediate arrests of former state ministers Babu Singh Khushwaha and Anant Kumar Mishra for their alleged involvement in Sachan`s death, Samajwadi party claimed he was murdered to save these leaders.

"Both Khushwaha and Mishra should be arrested as they are involved in multi-crore scam in National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) funds. They along with cabinet secretary and a senior official are behind the murder of Dr Sachan", SP state president Akhilesh Yadav told reporters. "It is a big conspiracy," he said.

"We demand a CBI probe into the matter as state government and its officers were trying to hush up the case, which is connected to Chief Minister`s office," he said urging Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter.

BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "it is evident in the circumstances that it is a case of murder not suicide".

The party has demanded a CBI probe in a transparent and time-bound manner.

BJP vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, "Sachan may have been ready to spill the beans against the former ministers which could have led to his murder".

An official spokesman said jailor of the Lucknow Jail, a deputy jailor, a head constable and two guards have been placed under suspension on charges of dereliction of duty.

According to Inspector General of Jail V K Gupta, "prima facie, it seems to be a case of suicide".

Sachan was arrested immediately after Singh`s murder when the investigating agencies detected swindling of funds to the tune of several crores of rupees in the implementation of the National Rural Health Mission.

Sachan`s family too has alleged that he was murdered and demanded a CBI probe. "Have you ever heard of anyone hanging himself with his belt?" his brother R K Sachan asked.

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