NRHM scam accused commits suicide in Lucknow, Congress demands CBI probe

Lucknow: One of the key official involved in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam in Uttar Pradesh committed suicide at his residence in Lucknow on Monday morning.

Project Manager Sunil Verma shot himself at his Vikas Nagar residence at around 8:30 AM. The 52-year-old official was taken to a hospital where the doctors declared him dead. Verma was a project manager associated with the construction and design division of Uttar Pradesh government.

The Construction and Design Division is a part of the UP Jal Nigam and Verma was was overseeing all the construction related work under the NRHM scheme.

Verma was being questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the NRHM scam. Verma, who is the fourth official allegedly involved in the scam to kill himself, was questioned on January 4 by the CBI.

"Sunil Verma shot himself dead today morning. He was interrogated by the CBI on January 4. The incident happened at Sunil Verma's residence at around 8:30 AM in the morning. Sunil Verma's son told the police about the incident. We are carrying out our Investigation. He was taken to a hospital and declared brought dead. He was under stress as he was being interrogated by the CBI in the NRHM scam," said Lucknow Range DIG DK Thakur.

Verma was a key suspect as he had been named in the first FIR along with former Uttar Pradesh minister Babu Singh Kushwaha. He was responsible for the upgrade of 134 hospitals under the NRHM scam in the state for an amount of Rs.13.4 crore.

According to the FIR the work was allegedly given to a Ghaziabad-based company on the basis of forged documents and the construction was of inferior quality causing a loss of Rs 5.46 crore to the exchequer.

The Congress, which has made corruption in the state a big election plank, demanded a CBI probe into the incident alleging that Verma may have been killed.

The NRHM scam surfaced after the murder of two CMOs and a Deputy CMO and the Allahabad High Court directed the CBI to inquire into the misuse of NRHM funds.

A special team of the CBI is investigating the NRHM scam, which has cast a shadow over the Assembly elections in the state. The CBI is probing irregularities in funds disbursed to 72 Chief Medical Officers across Uttar Pradesh.

Two former ministers in the Mayawati government - Kushwaha and Anant Mishra- have also been questioned by the CBI.

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