Vyapam scam: College dean's death raises concern

NEW DELHI: The dean of the Netaji Subhash Bose medical college in Jabalpur, Arun Sharma was found dead at a city resort on Sunday morning. Sharma was heading a team constituted by the Madhya Pradesh government to probe the Vyapam admission scam. Though the police have ruled out a foul play based on the preliminary investigations, the body has been sent for an autopsy.
Sharma (64) had reached the city by a flight on Saturday around 4pm and checked into the Uppal ecotel on Dwarka link road around 4.30pm. Hotel authorities said that Sharma had asked them for a double bedroom for an overnight stay and requested them to give him a wake up call around 4.30am on Sunday. He was supposed to board a flight to Agartala around 6.10am. Hotel officials say that he was last seen around 7pm during dinner after which he went to the room (number 234).
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The room service called Sharma on the intercom number around 4.35pm, but he did not take the call. Hotel officials have told the police one of the room service boys were sent to knock on his room but Sharma didn’t respond. Sensing something amiss, the hotel officials informed the police at around 6am.
A team from the Kapashera police station reached the first floor room soon after this and the door was opened with a master key. Sharma was found lying on the bed wearing a night dress. Police officers said that they have recovered a 750ml bottle of liquor which was nearly empty lying beside the bed.
A few pills probably related to diabetes were also found at the bed side table.
Sharma’s body was rushed to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. Joint commissioner south western range, Depender Pathak said that prima facie there were no injuries on the body nor was there a sign of poisoning on the body.
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It was also found that Sharma had thrown up at the room a few times before collapsing on the bed. Police suspect that this was due to the excessive drinking.
They also suspect that a concoction of medicines along with alcohol might have resulted in a heart attack.
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Police officers say that the family members were informed about the incident immediately after which the CCTV footages from all the places, Sharma had travelled to, was recovered. He had bought the liquor bottle from a shop near the airport while he was on his way to the hotel.
Sharma’s son Raja who is also a doctor at a hospital in Bangalore has told the police that he was appointed the dean of the college two months back and was heading to Agartala to inspect a new unit at the medical college there.
Meanwhile, In Chennai, social activist Medha Patkar said that the chief justice of Madhya Pradesh high court A M Khanwilkar should take a very strong position on the Vyapam scam and look into the unprecedented number of deaths linked with it.