Vyapam: AAP govt meets scribe's family, offers sister job

The Aam Aadmi Party government offered a job to the sister of deceased TV journalist Akshay Singh, who was covering the Vyapam scam, after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy paid a visit to Singh’s family.

Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also extended full financial assistance to Singh’s family even as they demanded an independent probe into the circumstances leading to the scribe’s death in Bhopal.

“The whole family is in a state of shock. They have lost their young son who was the only earning member of their family. We have offered them full financial assistance and a job for his sister soon which they need at this point,” Sisodia said.

Earlier, Kejriwal and Sisodia had attended the last rites of Singh, who died mysteriously on June 4 after interviewing parents of a girl who was found dead after her name figured in the massive admission and recruitment scandal in Madhya Pradesh (Vyapam).

AIIMS to send scribe’s viscera sample for testing

Meanwhile, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences will send the viscera Singh’s samples to the central forensic laboratory in New Delhi to test for poisoning and will conduct examination of tissues to study any manifestation of disease.

According to a senior doctor, the forensic department of AIIMS in New Delhi does not have the required facilities to conduct the toxicological analysis of viscera samples which is used to determine if there is any poisoning and its source.

A three-member AIIMS board comprising Additional Professor Dr Adarsh Kumar, Professor Dr Millo Tabin and Senior Resident Doctor Shashank Pooniya, all from the forensic department of AIIMS, is conducting histopathological test which involves microscopic examination of tissues to study manifestations of disease.

"There are two sets of viscera samples. One set (tissues) we have accepted and have started doing histopathological examination of tissues. While the other set of viscera samples will be sent to CFSL-Delhi for toxicological analysis. We have already told Madhya Pradesh police team to take the second set for chemical analysis. It will be better that the other sample is sent to CFSL labs,” said AIIMS' forensic head Dr Sudhir Gupta.

According to sources at AIIMS, the institute does not have the mandate and the enhanced facilities required to conduct toxicological analysis of viscera samples, the reason why even in Sunanda Pushkar's case her viscera samples were sent to CFSL last year. 

"AIIMS had received the viscera samples on Monday. Now as per the procedure, the HOD-Forensic will write a letter recommending that the viscera be tested at CFSL and the police team will take the samples there," said the sources.