UP Doctors Arrested for Alleged Eye Removal During Autopsy, CMO Suspended

Badaun- In a case dating back to two months, where accusations were made of the removal of eyes from the body of a woman who died by suicide, the doctors involved in the autopsy have been arrested. The incident occurred in Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh, and the deceased woman's family alleged that her eyes were stolen during the post-mortem process.

The arrest was made on Wednesday following a report submitted by a team comprising the Additional District Magistrate (Administration) VK Singh, the Police Officer Alok Mishra and the Chief Medical Officer Pradeep Varshney. The family had raised concerns about the missing eyes after the second post-mortem, and the arrested doctors now face charges related to their alleged involvement in this act.

The deceased, Pooja, a resident of Kutrai village in the Ilaka area of the Civil Lines police station in Alapur, was found hanging on November 10, 2023, in her in-laws' village of Rasoolapur. Allegations were made by Pooja's family that she was murdered due to non-fulfillment of dowry demands.

In the initial investigation, Dr. Arif and Dr. Owais, who conducted the post-mortem, were charged. A team comprising the Additional District Magistrate (Administration), the Police Superintendent (City), and the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Pradeep Varshney, was formed to investigate the case. The team submitted a report, leading to the arrest of the two accused doctors.

The brother of the deceased claimed that when the body was taken for the first post-mortem, the eyes were intact, but when they opened the bag after claiming the body, the eyes were missing. The family accused the doctors of fabricating a story involving rats to save themselves. The second post-mortem included a video recording, and the report mentioned the absence of eyes.

The deceased's kin stated that if the eyes had been eaten by rodents, it would have been mentioned in the post-mortem report. Presently, the ground for incarcerating the doctors is that they allegedly did not mention the absence of eyes in the post-mortem report, as claimed by them. While the family performed the final rites for the woman's body, the crucial video footage during the post-mortem will be significant evidence for the investigation.

Inspector Gaurav Vishnoi of the Civil Lines police station. told The Mooknayak that both the accused doctors Dr. Arif and Dr. Owais, were arrested.They were presented before the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court and sent to district jail. Further investigation is ongoing, involving possible complicity of other medical staff. Prompt action has been promised against anyone found negligent.

It is noteworthy that the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Badaun, Dr. Pradeep Varshney was suspended in connection with the case. The two accused doctors too were suspended following the directives of Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak. The doctors were attached to the Bareilly Division's office of the Additional Director, Medical and Health Department, as part of the disciplinary action for their alleged negligence in handling the case.

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