Ahmedabad: Chhaya Pandya, sister of slain former Gujarat minister Haren Pandya on Friday sought reinvestigation into her brother`s killing arguing that, it was a political murder and real killers are still roaming free.
She said, that she was planning to make a representation to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to seek his intervention and to demand reinvestigation into the murder case.
"My father, late Vitthal Pandya, all along maintained that it was a political murder," Chhaya told media persons.
"I too agree with my late father that, it was a political murder," she alleged.
Her statement comes a week after the Gujarat High Court verdict, that dropped murder charges against all the 12 accused in the case, though the court had upheld the charges
of criminal conspiracy and terrorism under Pota against them.
The High Court had raised questions about the investigation done by the CBI in the case. The verdict has now posed a question before family members as to, who killed Haren.
Chhaya said, that real killers of her brother were still roaming free and she wanted them to be behind bars.
"I have sought time from the Prime Minister to make a representation demanding reinvestigation into Haren`s murder," Chhaya said.
Pandya, who was Minister of State for Home in the Keshubhai Patel government was shot dead on March 26, 2003 near Law Garden here, when he was out for a morning walk.
The medical team submitted that of the 10 infants, only one was born in the hospital, four were cases of premature birth and the common cause for admission into neo-natal ward was "birth asphyxia high grade II/III".
"On an average, 25 deliveries occur every day in the hospital. Most babies were treated under standard protocol....Average mortality is 35 per cent in the neo-natal ward," says the team`s report, submitted to Chief Minister, N Kiran Kumar Reddy this evening.
Meanwhile, talking to a news agency on phone, Kurnool district Collector Ram Shankar Naik said, the condition of three children was serious today. He added that two or three deaths per day were not uncommon at the hospital.
Naik also admitted the hospital suffered from lack of infrastructure.
The Chief Minister had asked the Collector to visit the hospital and submit a report. Naik said there were not enough ventilators and some medical equipment being used was a `substitute`.
Some doctors were not available, he noted, adding all government doctors had been told to be more diligent in future.
The Collector said, the hospital catered to several neighboring districts in the state and also districts like Bellary in Karnataka and so the hospital infrastructure was not enough.
"Many private hospitals refer patients in critical condition as they feel that a death would harm their reputation. Government hospital cannot refuse admission to such patients," the Collector said.
In July, of the 187 infants admitted to the Kurnool hospital, 44 died. In August, 201 infants were admitted, of which 61 died, according to official data.
PTI
