UP: suicide note gives new turn to NRHM accountant murder case

Lakhimpur (UP), Feb 23: The mysterious murder case of UP health department accountant Mahendra Sharma took a new turn Thursday after police claimed that they recovered a suicide note from the room of the slain official.

"The investigating officials have recovered a suicide note from the inner seams of a jacket in Sharma's room," SP Amit Chandra said, making it clear that "the note was not found from the clothes Sharma was wearing but from the jacket hanging in the room".

In the note, Sharma accused Pasgawan CHC in-charge S C Gupta, additional chief medical officer Balbir Singh, CMO J P Bhargava and clerk Rajesh Hans of harassing and tormenting him to seek monetary gains for his transfer, he said.

"In this suicide note, these four persons have been held responsible for Sharma's suicide," the SP said, adding that the police is verifying authenticity of the note and help of handwriting experts will be taken to match the writing on it with that of Sharma on various official documents.

"We have asked for some documents written by Sharma from the CMO so that handwriting could be matched," Chandra said.

Sharma (52), an accounts clerk at the Pasgawan CHC of the district, was found dead at his official quarter on February 15. He was reported missing from February 7.
Police said that the quarter from which Sharma's body was recovered was found bolted from inside.

The post-mortem report revealed death was caused due to asphyxia as a result of smothering. Half a dozen other injuries including some on the nose were also detected on the body.

His wife Mithilesh and sons Tushar and Neeraj had alleged Sharma was murdered owing to his refusal to cooperate with the corrupt practices prevailing in NRHM programme implementation.

The family members also sought a CBI probe into the killing, alleging that his death was linked to multi-crore NRHM scam already being probed by CBI.

An FIR of murder and criminal conspiracy was lodged by his wife against CMO JP Bhargava, deputy CMO Balbir Singh, CHC in-charge SC Gupta, health employees' staff association president Kuldeep Mishra and its secretary Munna Lal and Pasgawan CHC clerk Rajesh Hans.

PTI