Scam accused MP Guv's son found dead, Cong demands CBI probe

Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav's son Shailesh, who was recently named as an accused in the multi-crore Vyapam scam in MP, was found dead on under mysterious circumstances at his father's official residence in Lucknow.

Police said the exact cause of the death of 50-year-old Shailesh, who is the second of Yadav's 3 sons, would be known only after the postmortem examination but prima facie it appeared to be due to brain haemorrhage or heart attack. Shailesh was found dead on the floor of his bedroom, it said.

The Congress's MP unit demanded a CBI probe into Shailesh's death. His 86-year-old father was a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and a senior Congress leader.

"Shailesh Yadav was found lying dead in his room this morning. Prima facie it appeared to be natural death due to brain haemorrhage or heart attack," a senior police officer said in Lucknow.

"He was suffering from blood sugar and used to sleep alone in his room. His body was found on the floor. His sugar might have risen due to which the death could have taken place. The exact cause of death will be ascertained only after the post-mortem examination," he said.

Shailesh used to live at 1, Mall Avenue residence allotted to his father in the capacity of being former UP chief minister.

A family friend of the Yadavs, Satyadeo Tripathi, a Congress leader, said Shailesh was under "stress" after his name figured in the Vyapam scam.

"He was under stress after his name figured in the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board or Vyapam scam. This might be the reason behind his death as far as we think," Tripathi said after visiting Yadav's residence. Shailesh was named as one of the accused in the case on February 24.

Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi said, "We have been told that he had too much hypertension and blood pressure and his blood sugar level was very high....and because of this he had a brain haemorrhage in the night. Doctors were called after the brain haemorrhage but before the doctors could treat him, he passed away".

Shailesh's name had cropped up in the multi-crore scam for allegedly fixing the recruitment of 10 candidates as Grade III teachers.

"We demand a CBI probe into the mysterious death of Shailesh Yadav as his name had figured in the Vyapam scam," Leader of Opposition in MP Legislative Assembly Satyadev Katare said in Bhopal.

The Governor, who himself has been named as an accused in the scam, was admitted to a hospital in Bhopal four days back following respiratory problems.

Yadav has also challenged in the High Court the inclusion of his name as an accused and had sought immunity.

Earlier, an accused in the scam had alleged that Shailesh took money to help candidates.

In his statement to the Special Task Force probing the Vyapam scam, Veerpal Yadav had alleged that he handed over a list of 10 candidates and Rs 3 lakh to his friend Vijay Pal, who gave the money and names allegedly to Shailesh at Raj Bhawan in Bhopal.

The scam involves massive irregularities and corruption in the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board or MP Vyavsayik Pareeksha Mandal.

Image: Media persons and police personnel outside the Lucknow residence of Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav, after his son Shailesh, whose named figured in the Vyapam scam, was found dead under mysterious circumstances. Photograph: Sandeep Pal