Dausa: “What will happen if I land in jail…they will send me to jail” — Dr Archana Sharma, a gold medalist in obstetrics and gynaecology, kept repeating these words on the morning of 29 March, after she read a local newspaper snippet that said she and her husband had been booked for murder over the death of a woman post childbirth at their hospital in Rajasthan’s Dausa district.
Speaking to ThePrint, her brother Pawan Sharma recalled consoling her, saying: “You are not going to jail. Even if you go, we will also go.”
Later that day, the 40-year-old doctor’s body was found hanging in her children’s room. She left behind an 11-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl.
A note, purportedly written by Archana, was also found, which said that she had done nothing wrong, and that she loved her children and husband.
“I have done nothing wrong and not killed anyone. PPH (postpartum haemorrhage) is a known complication so stop harassing doctors so much over it. Perhaps my death might prove my innocence. Don’t harass innocent doctors. Please,” it read.
The previous day’s protests over the death of a 22-year-old woman named Asha, soon after giving birth at Anand Hospital in Dausa’s Lalsot — jointly owned by Dr Archana and her husband Dr Suneet Upadhaya (45) — coupled with the newspaper article, had left his sister deeply disturbed, said Pawan. She kept worrying about the future of her children and the impact on her and her husband’s reputation as doctors, he added.
On 28 March, an FIR was lodged against the doctor couple under IPC sections 299 (murder) and 304A (causing death by negligence) at Lalsot police station. According to records, the FIR was based on a complaint filed by Asha’s husband Laluram Bairwa. However, he later claimed that he did not write the complaint, and was only made to sign it.
Another FIR was registered at the same police station on 29 March, on the basis of a complaint filed by Dr Suneet in connection with his wife’s alleged suicide. So far, five people including a former BJP MLA have been arrested on charges of extortion and abetment of suicide in this case.
Following Dr Archana’s death, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had said that strict action would be taken against whoever was responsible.
According to Dausa police, the murder charge against the doctor couple was dropped soon after Dr Archana’s death on 29 March.
Following Dr Archana’s death, Dausa Superintendent of Police (SP) Anil Kumar was removed, Lalsot Station House Officer (SHO) Ankesh Kumar was suspended while Deputy SP (DSP) Shankar Lal was awaiting posting orders.
The matter became even murkier last week as Dr Suneet’s police complaint alleged that a man called Shiv Shanker Joshi alias Baliya Joshi — the main accused in the abetment case, and reportedly an associate of Rajya Sabha BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena — ran an “extortion racket” in cahoots with local journalists and police officials over patient deaths under Meena’s “protection”, and had previously made several attempts to extort money from them.
Dr Suneet has claimed in his complaint that the racket had a role to play in the complaint against him and his wife.
Moreover, Laluram had on Friday claimed that he couldn’t read and write too well, and was only made to sign a police complaint filed against the doctor couple, on the basis of which the murder FIR was registered.
When contacted, new Dausa SP Rajkumar Gupta declined to comment on Dr Suneet’s extortion racket claims, but said that Baliya Joshi, who is absconding, is a “history sheeter” with five cases lodged against him. “We have teams sent to other states as well to nab Joshi. He is the main accused in the case,” the SP added.
He also declined to comment when asked about Laluram’s claim that he did not write the police complaint against the doctor couple, and had only signed the same.
ThePrint sought comments on the matter from Baliya Joshi and Kirodi Lal Meena via calls and messages, but did not receive a response from either. This copy will be updated when their responses are received.
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‘Injustice’, says doctor’s husband
Dr Archana’s brother Pawan, who manages Anand Hospital, recalled that around 10 am on 29 March, his brother-in-law Dr Suneet, who specialises in psychiatry, headed towards the OPD while Dr Archana was still at home.
“She hadn’t showered till then, so I told her to go bathe and left for the hospital,” Pawan said, adding that soon after, when family members went to check on Dr Archana, they realised something had gone wrong as she wouldn’t open the door.
Pawan said he then called up Dr Suneet: “We thought she was upset and sent Suneet, thinking she is crying behind locked doors.”
Dr Suneet told ThePrint he kicked open the main door and rushed into the house, only to find his wife’s body hanging in the children’s room at around 11 am.
Pawan said his sister had sent away her eight-year-old daughter to her grandparents’ home minutes before her death.
Narrating the “injustice” meted out to his family, Dr Suneet said he felt both anger and grief. “I can still remember the weight of her lifeless body as I pulled down and rushed her to the ICU, only to be declared dead within minutes,” he added.
His 14-year-old son hasn’t left his side for even a minute since then. His daughter has written a letter for her mother, which said: “Mumma is the best if we count the ladies in the world…”
Who filed the murder FIR?
Who wrote the police complaint — on the basis of which the FIR under IPC section 302 (murder) was lodged against the doctor couple — still remains a mystery as Asha’s husband Laluram, a daily wage labourer, claimed he didn’t write the complaint, and only signed it.
Contacted by ThePrint, he said, “I don’t know anything. I had fainted after hearing about her death.”
Reiterating that someone made him sign the complaint at the police station, he said: “Main kam padha likha hu, Class 10 tak padha hu. Mote mote akshar padh leta hu (I am not very well-read. I have studied till Class 10. I can just read some letters).”
The Supreme Court, in an order passed last November, had stated a doctor cannot be held guilty of medical negligence if a patient does not survive despite treatment.
The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA), which had written to the Rajasthan government last week seeking an investigation into the incident, also released a statement which said: Postpartum haemorrhage is a known complication following delivery in pregnant women and as per guidelines of the Supreme Court, a doctor cannot be accused of medical negligence in any such incident, without proper investigation by an expert committee.”
‘Was only angry because they handed over the newborn’
According to Dr Suneet, Asha died at around 1 pm on 28 March, after giving birth at Anand Hospital. This was her fourth delivery. She already had five-year-old twin daughters and another seven-year-old girl.
Asked about what happened that day, Asha’s husband Laluram said, “I fainted, after an hour I came to know that the body had been sent home. I was only angry because they handed over the newborn (too quickly after Asha’s death). I reached my village later, and then came to protest again with Asha’s body.”
He also denied any ties with main accused Joshi.
Asked who took him to the police station, Laluram said he didn’t know, but added that they left the hospital premises after the matter was settled.
Dr Suneet however said that the baby was healthy, and hence was handed over to Asha’s family members, adding that CCTV footage does not corroborate Laluram’s claims that he fainted.
“Two cars were waiting. The body was sent in one car, the family members had taken the other car, and Laluram went with them. We even returned the Rs 12,000 they had deposited. At around 4.30 pm, a crowd of 200 came to the hospital and there was chaos. Joshi was behind all this. They had started funeral preparations. While leaving with the body, the family had thanked my wife for trying to save the patient till the last moment,” said Dr Suneet.
Till now, five people have been arrested in connection with the FIR lodged on Dr Suneet’s complaint — former BJP MLA Jitender Gothwal, Ram Manohar Bairwa, Balram Bairwa, Babulal Mena and Ramkhiladi Bairwa.
Dausa SP Gupta said police are identifying more people in the case.
Extortion claims
In his police complaint, Dr Suneet alleged that a local reporter and main accused Joshi together operated an extortion racket. “We had filed complaints against Joshi earlier as well but no action was taken against him, which increased his impunity. He has abused my father, held protests,” the FIR, which ThePrint has accessed, read.
SP Gupta said the reporter’s role is under investigation.
Dr Suneet said he had earlier filed two complaints against Joshi, in 2018 and 2020, but no action was taken. “Once, the then SHO called Joshi and while I was made to wait for hours, the police and him chatted and had tea,” he alleged.
In his August 2020 complaint, the doctor accused Manoj Joshi, a relative of Baliya’s, of extortion, alleging that the “Joshi gang” had been “harassing” people. The complaint also mentioned 16 GB of call recordings.
“Baliya Joshi is a thug, he runs an extortion racket under the protection of Dr Kirodi Lal Meena and also has contacts with local journalists here who control the press. They all run this extortion racket. The police and the gang have been hand-in-glove,” Dr Suneet alleged.
“Since the last five years, multiple attempts have been made to extort money from us. They might be successful with others, but I had refused to give them anything. We don’t have extra money to give goons, I told him, as the hospital was built on a loan,” he added.
Asked about these claims, SP Gupta said, “We don’t know why the previous complaints weren’t registered.” Asked if this matter was under probe, he declined to comment.
Gupta said Joshi had five cases lodged against him for offences including voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from duty, and assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty.
“Joshi was chargesheeted in four of the cases and the matter is under trial,” he added.
‘A dream has come crashing down’
Dr Archana and Dr Suneet, who had been married for 15 years, started the 45-bed Anand Hospital in 2016. Archana, native of Ranchi, moved from Gandhinagar, where she was associate professor and unit head in a government hospital, to start a new life with her husband in Lalsot. Family and friends told ThePrint she was “sincere, loving and generous”.
“We were serving people. That had been our dream. With her death, all of it has come crashing down,” said Dr Suneet.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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