With a special CBI court awarding on Tuesday a life term to Anand Prakash Tiwari for the murders of two chief medical officers (CMOs) in Lucknow 13 years ago, the spotlight is back on the NRHM scam which ultimately became one of the reasons for the fall of the then Mayawati-led BSP govt. The two CMOs had been shot while on morning walks by Tiwari and his men.Both murders were linked to the NRHM scam.
The UPA-1 government launched the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) on April 12, 2005 to provide quality healthcare to the rural population. Rampant irregularities in its implementation were revealed when BSP was in govt in Uttar Pradesh between 2007 and 2012. According to the CBI, which is investigating on the Allahabad high court’s orders, over Rs 5,700 crore disbursed to 72 chief medical officers (CMOs) in UP through the NRHM was siphoned off. The CAG report says that between April 2005 and March 2011 the State Health Mission, responsible for implementing NRHM schemes, “did not discharge its responsibilities adequately, resulting in Rs 5,754 crore going unaccounted for”.
Two murders put the spotlight on the scam. On Oct 27, 2010 Lucknow CMO Dr Vinod Arya was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants in Lucknow. Six months later, on April 2, 2011, another CMO, Dr BP Singh, was killed in similar fashion in the city. The police subsequently arrested deputy CMO Dr Y S Sachan in connection with Singh’s murder. But on June 22, 2011 Sachan was found dead in mysterious circumstances in Lucknow jail. This led to a public outcry over alleged corruption in the NRHM. The then Mayawati govt referred the case to the CBI in July 2011. Meanwhile, a petition was filed in the Allahabad high court which in Nov that year ordered a wider probe by the CBI.
The CBI formed a special team which arrested the then family welfare minister, Babu Singh Kushwaha, and UP principal secretary (health and family welfare) Pradeep Shukla for alleged roles in the scam. It also raided more than 100 places across UP and questioned hundreds of people in connection with the scam. Many CMOs, along with about 40 govt doctors, were detained, questioned, arrested and suspended. Owners of 200 firms supplying drugs, instruments and construction material too were questioned. The CBI has so far registered 74 cases and filed 65 chargesheets, according to sources. The CBI probe has been followed by investigations by the Enforcement Directorate which has registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and attached properties of various accused, including Kushwaha.
On April 4, 2011 Lucknow deputy CMO Dr Sachan was arrested. Officers investigating the murders of the two CMOs began to suspect him in the course of their probe. Police claimed he had hatched a conspiracy to eliminate Dr Singh as he had ordered a probe against him. Dr Sachan was found dead in Lucknow jail on June 22, 2011, a day before a scheduled court appearance. The state govt initially claimed it was suicide but his family alleged foul play, suspecting he had been murdered to prevent him from exposing those who had “framed” him. A judicial inquiry by the Lucknow CJM concluded that it was homicide. The Allahabad HC then ordered the CBI to investigate Dr Sachan’s death. In Sept 2012, the CBI filed a closure report saying it was suicide due to hanging, which was corroborated by opinion from AIIMS doctors. Despite protests by Dr Sachan’s widow, Malti Sachan, and subsequent court orders for further investigation, the CBI filed another closure report in Aug 2017 stating there was no evidence of homicide. Malti Sachan persisted, filing a complaint in Nov 2019 that included testimonies and autopsy reports. A lower court rejected the closure report but the HC upheld it in 2023. However, the case remains unresolved.
A senior officer privy to the probe disclosed that Dr YS Sachan had hired two shooters, AP Tewari and Vinod Sharma, with the help of one RK Verma to eliminate Arya and Singh as they had started ordering probes in the NRHM scam. Police say Tiwari, after eliminating both CMOs, had made a phone call to RK Verma saying “Kaam Ho gaya (The job has been done)”. Call detail record analysis proved that Tiwari had been at the crime scene. Forensic evidence also showed that the weapon recovered from Tiwari was used to shoot and kill the two CMOs.
The UPA-1 government launched the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) on April 12, 2005 to provide quality healthcare to the rural population. Rampant irregularities in its implementation were revealed when BSP was in govt in Uttar Pradesh between 2007 and 2012. According to the CBI, which is investigating on the Allahabad high court’s orders, over Rs 5,700 crore disbursed to 72 chief medical officers (CMOs) in UP through the NRHM was siphoned off. The CAG report says that between April 2005 and March 2011 the State Health Mission, responsible for implementing NRHM schemes, “did not discharge its responsibilities adequately, resulting in Rs 5,754 crore going unaccounted for”.
Two murders put the spotlight on the scam. On Oct 27, 2010 Lucknow CMO Dr Vinod Arya was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants in Lucknow. Six months later, on April 2, 2011, another CMO, Dr BP Singh, was killed in similar fashion in the city. The police subsequently arrested deputy CMO Dr Y S Sachan in connection with Singh’s murder. But on June 22, 2011 Sachan was found dead in mysterious circumstances in Lucknow jail. This led to a public outcry over alleged corruption in the NRHM. The then Mayawati govt referred the case to the CBI in July 2011. Meanwhile, a petition was filed in the Allahabad high court which in Nov that year ordered a wider probe by the CBI.
The CBI formed a special team which arrested the then family welfare minister, Babu Singh Kushwaha, and UP principal secretary (health and family welfare) Pradeep Shukla for alleged roles in the scam. It also raided more than 100 places across UP and questioned hundreds of people in connection with the scam. Many CMOs, along with about 40 govt doctors, were detained, questioned, arrested and suspended. Owners of 200 firms supplying drugs, instruments and construction material too were questioned. The CBI has so far registered 74 cases and filed 65 chargesheets, according to sources. The CBI probe has been followed by investigations by the Enforcement Directorate which has registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and attached properties of various accused, including Kushwaha.
On April 4, 2011 Lucknow deputy CMO Dr Sachan was arrested. Officers investigating the murders of the two CMOs began to suspect him in the course of their probe. Police claimed he had hatched a conspiracy to eliminate Dr Singh as he had ordered a probe against him. Dr Sachan was found dead in Lucknow jail on June 22, 2011, a day before a scheduled court appearance. The state govt initially claimed it was suicide but his family alleged foul play, suspecting he had been murdered to prevent him from exposing those who had “framed” him. A judicial inquiry by the Lucknow CJM concluded that it was homicide. The Allahabad HC then ordered the CBI to investigate Dr Sachan’s death. In Sept 2012, the CBI filed a closure report saying it was suicide due to hanging, which was corroborated by opinion from AIIMS doctors. Despite protests by Dr Sachan’s widow, Malti Sachan, and subsequent court orders for further investigation, the CBI filed another closure report in Aug 2017 stating there was no evidence of homicide. Malti Sachan persisted, filing a complaint in Nov 2019 that included testimonies and autopsy reports. A lower court rejected the closure report but the HC upheld it in 2023. However, the case remains unresolved.
A senior officer privy to the probe disclosed that Dr YS Sachan had hired two shooters, AP Tewari and Vinod Sharma, with the help of one RK Verma to eliminate Arya and Singh as they had started ordering probes in the NRHM scam. Police say Tiwari, after eliminating both CMOs, had made a phone call to RK Verma saying “Kaam Ho gaya (The job has been done)”. Call detail record analysis proved that Tiwari had been at the crime scene. Forensic evidence also showed that the weapon recovered from Tiwari was used to shoot and kill the two CMOs.