AIIMS denies the allegations.
By Dileep Thekkethil
BENGALURU: Dr. Sudhir Gupta, the head of the forensic department at All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), has alleged that his impending removal is the result of the uncanny nexus between the institute’s director and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
According to Dr. Gupta, Tharoor and the AIIMS Director have come to some kind of “tactical understanding” for faking the post-mortem report of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Shashi Tharoor, who died under mysterious circumstances.
In a letter addressed to the Union Minister J P Nadda, who is also the president of AIIMS, Dr. Gupta has alleged that he has access to some of the emails that have incriminating evidence about the nexus between the AIIMS director Dr. Mishra and Tharoor.
He also added in the letter that, “I was asked by Dr Mishra to give a post mortem report of late Sunanda Pushkar as natural death which was contrary to the findings,”.
Dr, Gupta said, even though he was put under intense pressure by the AIIMS authority, he didn’t act according to their whims and gave a factual report to the investigating agency.
AIIMS Director Dr. Mishra who was contacted by various media houses evaded questions over Dr. Gupta’s claims. Dr. Gupta’s allegations were seconded by Dr. Adarsh Kumar, who was one among the doctors who conducted the post-mortem of Sunanda Pushkar. Dr. Adarsh also said that the board was asked to give a positive report citing the reason for Sunanda’s death as “natural.”
However, the AIIMS authorities have denied any such act from the part of its director. It said .
“The Institute would like to categorically state that there were no extraneous pressures ever put on Professor Sudhir Kumar Gupta with regard to his medical opinion for any case. Allegations being levelled against the Institute in the media by Prof. Gupta in this regard are baseless and denied,” it said in a statement.
The official AIIMS spokesperson Dr. Amit Gupta also said that the hospital had gone through all the procedures including informing the High Court about seeking a replacement for Dr. Gupta.
Dr. Gupta also complained that the previous UPA government victimized him over the post-mortem report of Pushkar. AIIMS have also sought the High Court for finalizing the appointment of Dr DN Bhardwaj as the new head of its Forensic Medicine and Toxicology Department.