NRHM scam claims fifth victim; battered body of accountant Mahendra Sharma found

LUCKNOW: The multi-crore scam in the National Rural Health Mission claimed its fifth victim in the state when the battered body of Mahendra Sharma, an accountant of a primary health centre, was found in Lakhimpur Kheri district's Pasgawan town.

Sharma, 52, was under pressure to sign some papers and had been missing from home since February, his son Tushar said. The room in the staff quarters where the body was found in a pool of blood was locked from inside and the cause of death would be known only when the post mortem report is made available by late Thursday night, the police maintained.

More than Rs 5,000 crore is alleged to have been siphoned off from the funds meant for the centrally-sponsored scheme, making it among the key issues for the Congress poll election campaign in the assembly polls.

Reacting to the news, Congress president Sonia Gandhi's daughter and star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi said it was very unfortunate that the NRHM scam had claimed another victim. She blamed the Mayawati government of siphoning off central funds meant for welfare schemes.

The scam had come to light when Vinod Kumar Arya, chief medical officer, family welfare, was killed in broad daylight in October 2010. The murder was followed by the killing of CMO Dr BP Singh outside his home in April 2011.

Two months later, deputy CMO YS Sachan, who had been lodged in jail for allegedly getting the two doctors killed, was also found dead inside the jail premises. Though the police claimed Sachan had committed suicide, it was later proved that he had been killed.