Tracking Vyapam deaths: We are not political fodder, please leave us alone, says next of kin

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Then there’s a father — a police officer — who waited for his 22-year-old son to become the “the first doctor in this tribal family” but ended up having to visit the accident site where his son was killed. Angry at being used as political fodder, the families told The Indian Express that they didn’t see any conspiracy behind the deaths and all they wanted was to be left alone to mourn in peace.

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‘Will this land us in trouble?’

NARENDRA RAJPUT, 35

Cause of death: ‘Chest pain’

Narendra Rajput was the youngest among four sons of Putti Lal Lodhi, a former pradhan of Parpatar village in UP’s Mahoba district.

Lodhi died several years ago and Narendra was the only member of the family to pursue a professional degree, completing his Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) from a college in Jhansi.

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After spending eight years away from home for studies, Narendra returned to Parpatar village and barely six months before his death last year, opened a clinic in nearby Harpalpur.

Asked about his death, Narendra’s nephew Dhirendra said: “On April 13, 2014, at around 7 am, he went to the fields near his house. There, he experienced pain his chest and rushed back to his house. He stumbled on the doorstep and collapsed. We took him to a local hospital from where he was referred to Jhansi. But he succumbed on the way.”

The family members said they did not find anything suspicious in the death even though a postmortem could not ascertain a clear cause.

“We lodged a formal police complaint to get a postmortem done only because we were told that it was necessary in order to obtain compensation under the government’s insurance scheme for farmers. The report was unclear, and the insurance claim remains stuck,” said Drigpal Singh, the village pradhan and a cousin of Narendra.

Madhya Pradesh police records show that Narendra was a “middleman” linked to the government admissions and recruitment scam, with a case registered against him at the Sanyogitaganj police station in Indore.

But his family members say they first came to know of his alleged involvement in the scam when a police team visited their home three-four months after his death.

“He had tried to help a distant relative of his wife get a job. But the exact allegations are still unclear. The only thing the policemen were interested in was his death certificate,” said Dhirendra, Narendra’s nephew.

“The police came again during his first death anniversary this year. We feel it was to ascertain that the death certificate was real,” he added.

Narendra is survived by his wife Sudha Singh and two daughters, Yashi (3) and Garima (six months). His brothers and Drigpal live together in an old house opposite Narendra’s home. They now support Narendra’s family with income earned from farming.

The family members were not keen to talk about Narendra’s death but said that they did not suspect any foul play. They have destroyed all photos of Narendra as per their tradition, they added.

“My elder daughter was barely two when he died. She does not realise anything. She does not know that her father his dead,” said Sudha.

“When he died, I was pregnant with our second child. But I had not yet informed my husband about it,” she added.

“There is nothing more to say,” said Drigpal, adding, “These visits by police and reporters are creating problems for us.”

Narendra’s mother Gulab Rani, in her 70s, is the only one in the family who is willing to be photographed.

“But will this land us in trouble?” she asked, adding, “I am not worried about myself. But the youngsters in the family should not suffer any more.”

‘Son’s death was accidental’

ANUJ UIKEY, 22

Cause of death: Road accident.

Anuj Uikey, a student of Sagar Medical College, was driving his father’s car on June 14, 2010, when it crashed into a truck at a curve on Hoshangabad Road near Betwa Dhaba in Raisen, killing him and two other students who were in the car with him.

“I went to the spot and realised that it could not have been anything but an accident. There was no conspiracy,’’ said Anuj’s father, Ganpat Singh Uikey, who is a police officer posted in the Barghat station in Seoni district.

Madhya Pradesh police had accused Anuj of having been a “middleman” in the Vyapam scam, and registered two cases against him in Bhopal.

According to police records, Anuj “arranged” impersonators to appear in the Pre-Medical Test (PMT) for “weak” students.

But 50-year-old Ganpat Singh said that he was not aware of his son’s activities.

The father had an interesting theory to offer though, about why his son’s name may have been dragged into the scam.

“I know how crime investigation is done. The impersonators who were arrested must have been briefed by their advocates to name people who are not alive. You can extract information from those who are alive, not from the dead,” he alleged.

“Once you name a dead person, the chain is broken and that scuttles all chances of reaching the big fish,” said Singh.

Anuj’s family hails from Mandla and Singh lives with his wife at the police quarters — their two daughters are married.

“Had Anuj been alive, he would have been the first doctor in this tribal family,” said Singh.

He added that he does not remember his son having any “extra income” because he used to regularly send money to him.

“When he died, he had Rs 8,000 or Rs 9,000 in his bank account. He never had much money,” said Singh.

“The insurance claim has already been settled. I have no doubts whatsoever that my son’s death was accidental,” said Singh.