Taking a leaf from East Singhbhum police's book, the state CID has not filed a medical negligence chargesheet against a doctor of Tata Main Hospital (TMH) doctor in a case related to the death of 33-year-old Timken India finance executive Vishal Chand in 2011 even after seven months.
Delhi-based complainant Shishir Chand, who was hopeful of a CID probe doing justice to his deceased brother Vishal's case, is now aghast.
Though the case was handed over to the investigating agency by director-general of police (DGP) D.K. Pandey in July 29, 2015, no file has moved till date.
"I do not know the reason for the delay on CID's part in filing the chargesheet. They (state CID) have not even replied to my RTI (dated December 7, 2015) so far on whether they have investigated the medical protocol aspect in the case," said Shishir, whose younger brother Vishal had died of a massive cardiac attack soon after he was allegedly misdiagnosed for hyperacidity by a TMH senior medical officer, Dr Atul Chhabra, in May 2011.
Chand, now the Delhi coordinator for People for Better Treatment, an NGO to fight medical negligence, added from New Delhi: "I had written to the Jharkhand director-general of police in early June 2015 exposing the collusion of then SSP East Singhbhum Amol V. Homkar in shielding the accused by not taking up timely investigation into the case and trying to hide facts from East Singhbhum civil surgeon. I felt vindicated (by the DGP's move then). But now, after so many months, I am apprehensive about the fate of the probe."
CID inspector in Jamshedpur, Meenakshi Kumari confirmed no chargesheet had been filed.
"We have not received any such order. The case is being investigated by SP (CID) Jaya Roy. I cannot comment much," Kumari told this correspondent reluctantly.
In Ranchi, state police spokesperson and ADG (operations) S.N. Pradhan said he would look into the matter when The Telegraph contacted him, no signigficant development has taken place.
The Telegraph highlighted about Shishir's allegation against then East Singhbhum SSP Homkar ( Finger at SSP in neglect death, June 11, 2015).
Shishir had approached first-class chief judicial magistrate S.N. Lamay on April 30, 2014, and acting on the court's directions, filed an FIR against Dr Chhabra with Bistupur police on May 4, 2014, under IPC Sections 304 and 304 A (culpable homicide not amounting to murder and death due to negligence).
The police had not filed a chargesheet, Shishir had pointed out to the state DGP.
Earlier, Shishir lodged a case against Dr Chhabra and TMH with National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), New Delhi, in April 2013 and in August the same year, filed an appeal against the TMH doctor to the Medical Council of India (MCI).
The case was heard on February 16, 2016, by the NCDRC.
There, a panel headed by Justice Ajit Bharihoke issued a directive to Dr Deepak Ranjan Das, a cardiologist from Odisha who had supported Shishir Chand, to reply to the set of questions of the NCDRC panel in four weeks, with effect from February 16.
