Legal notice to officer probing infant deaths

Former MS of G B Pant Hospital Javid Chowdhary has served a legal notice on the officer probing infant deaths accusing him of destroying evidence.

Srinagar: Former Medical Superintendent of G B Pant Hospital Javid Chowdhary has served a legal notice on the inquiry officer probing the high infant mortality rate in the only children`s hospital here, accusing him of destroying important evidence.

Director of Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura Showkat Ahmad Zargar was served the legal notice by Chowdhary through his counsel on Sunday.

Accusing Zargar of exceeding his limits, the notice alleged that the inquiry officer broke open Chowdhary`s locker in the hospital without informing him and took away "important papers" which he had kept for his defence.

"You have exceeded your limits prescribed for an inquiry officer and provided under law, with ulterior motives, ill-will against the person of my client (Chowdhary) and you are responsible for whatever has happened and whatever will happen in future, to the person of my client," the notice read.

Zargar has been appointed as inquiry officer to ascertain the cause of high rate of deaths in the G B Pant hospital on May 17, on the day Chowdhary was relieved of his charge as Medical superintendent of the hospital and attached with Medical Education department.

Chowdhary accused Zargar of destroying important evidence and "manufacturing some additional documents" to malign his image.

The notice said the infant death were occurring before Chowdhary was given the charge of the hospital on January 16 at the same rate and still continuing at the same pace. "The deaths cannot be attributed to any person".

Chowdhary threatened Zargar with a defamation case if the latter failed to stop "maligning" him and restoring his important evidence on the subject.

A similar legal notice has been served on Dr Muneer Masoodi, who is the current Medical Superintendent of the G B Pant Hospital for facilitating the breaking open of Chowdhary`s room in the hospital.

Chowdhary has also filed a complaint before the Commissioner Secretary of the Medical Education Department against Zargar and Masoodi.

PTI

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