Shiv Sena demands CBI probe into death of UP minister Chetan Chauhan

The Uttar Pradesh unit of the Shiv Sena on Monday 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 here.

Chauhan, 73, 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.

"The minister was hurt by the attitude of the doctors and staff of SGPGI. Till now, no action has been taken against the guilty doctors and staff of the SGPGI. In the entire episode, the government continued to sleep, and two ministers succumbed to COVID-19," it said.

On August 2, state technical education minister Kamla Rani Varun, 62, 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.

He had also claimed that he and Chauhan were admitted in the same ward of the hospital.

"Once during a round, a doctor and a nurse asked who is Chetan, to which the minister raised his hand since he was a simple person. He was asked as to when he got infected with the virus, to which he explained the entire matter to the hospital staff.

"At that time, another personnel asked Chauhan what do you do, to which he said he is a minister in the Yogi Adityanath government," Sajan had said.

He had said he was angered by the behaviour of the hospital staff with Chauhan.