Shiv Sena demands CBI investigation into death of Uttar Pradesh minister Chetan Chauhan

Lucknow, Aug 25: The Uttar Pradesh unit of the Shiv Sena has demanded a CBI probe into the death of state minister Chetan Chauhan, who succumbed to COVID-19, questioning the circumstances under which he was shifted from a government hospital in Lucknow to a private facility in Gurgaon.

A delegation of the Shiv Sena met Governor Anandiben Patel and handed over a memorandum to her in this regard, the party said in a statement. Chauhan succumbed to COVID-19 on August 16.

Initially, he was admitted to Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) in Lucknow. After his health deteriorated due to kidney-related ailments, he was shifted to Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon where he was on life support for nearly 36 hours.

"Under what circumstances was late minister Chetan Chauhan shifted from SGPGI in Lucknow to Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon? Did the government have no faith in SGPGI, a prestigious institution?" the Shiv Sena asked in its statement.

On August 02, state technical education minister Kamla Rani Varun had died days after testing positive for COVID-19. "The government must conduct a CBI probe," the Shiv Sena said.

Earlier, Samajwadi Party MLC Sunil Singh Sajan had alleged that Chauhan died not because of COVID-19 but due to carelessness in his treatment at the SGPGI. Raising the issue in the Upper House of the Uttar Pradesh Legislature on Friday, he alleged that Chauhan received poor treatment at the state-run hospital.