FIR against Yuva Sena district chief, 6 others over alleged Rs 12 lakh extortion from Nagpur doctor

Panchpaoli police in Nagpur have registered a case over the alleged demand for Rs 12 lakh in extortion from a doctor at Hope Hospital in the Tekanaka area. The case names seven people, including Sharad Sarode, Yuva Sena district chief of the Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena.

According to the complaint, money was demanded by threatening to defame the hospital and get its licence cancelled. The allegations are still at the investigation stage. Panchpaoli's then police inspector, Aniruddha Puri, has been suspended following allegations of delay in acting on the complaint.

The case is linked to the death of a patient during treatment at Hope Hospital. According to the complaint by hospital director Dr Murali Balasundaram Kasiyamal, Vitthal Tukaram Sathe, a resident of Wardha, was brought to the hospital for treatment on August 30. The complaint says gangrene infection had spread in the patient's body. Doctors had told his relatives that a leg would have to be amputated, but the relatives did not permit it. The patient died on September 5 while undergoing treatment.

The patient's relatives and some Yuva Sena office-bearers then came to the hospital. When the situation worsened, police were informed and the body was sent for post-mortem. According to the doctor's complaint, it was at this time that Sarode threatened to defame the hospital and have its licence cancelled. Rs 10 lakh was also allegedly demanded for himself and Rs 2 lakh for the patient's relatives. The doctor approached police with an audio recording of the alleged conversation.

Panchpaoli police have registered an FIR under various sections against Sharad Sarode, Manisha Papdkar, Pankaj Khinchi, Mulla Singh Gaur, Pratik Bahuguna, Mahesh Dhole and Shubham Sathe, and have begun an investigation.

Police Commissioner Vishwas Nangre Patil suspended Puri, then police inspector at Panchpaoli, following the allegations of delay in acting on the complaint. Questions had been raised over the delay in filing the FIR despite the doctor's complaint and the alleged evidence. Police officers, on the other hand, also said the complainant side had been asked to come to the station to file a formal complaint.

After Puri's suspension, charge of Panchpaoli police station has been handed to Jitendra Bobde. Police are now examining the allegations recorded in the FIR, the alleged audio recording and other related evidence. The allegations will be verified only through the investigation.