KOCHI: Mishel Shaji Varghese
From its initial stage, the local police have been attempting to establish the death of 18-year-old CA student Mishel Shaji Varghese as a case of suicide. And now it looks like the ongoing crime branch probe has also aligned itself to the assumption made by Ernakulam central police. “It is heard that the Crime Branch has concluded that it was a case of suicide”, said Babychan, uncle of Mishel.
According to him, the family hadn’t received any hopeful signs from the authorities while unravelling the mystery behind the death. Mishel’s father Shaji Varghese and other family members were attending a retreat and hence not available for comments.
Even after two months, many questions remain unanswered in this case. The police had collected the CCTV visuals that showed two youths following Michel on a motorcycle after she stepped out of St Antony’s shrine at Kaloor. It has to be noted that the investigators have not been able to make any breakthrough in this regard.
When a complaint was lodged at the central police station on March 5, about the girl gone missing, the police had not taken any action. If they had at least tried to track her mobile phone, she may still have been alive. Why did the police not commence search operations then and there? Why did the police wait until the following day? These are the questions being asked by the relatives.
Incident
The body of Mishel was found in the backwaters near Kochi wharf on March 6. So far, the investigators have not received any major clue that points at a reason for her death, other than suicide. The police had arrested Cronin Alexander Baby, 26, who was reportedly in a relationship with her, on charges of abetment of suicide.
According to the investigators, Cronin, who was employed in Chhattisgarh, had harassed the girl, she took the extreme step following the mental trauma. Current Status: Crime Branch SP P K Madhu, who was leading the probe team, was transferred and DySP Sasidharan has been given charge of the case. It has also been learnt that the filing of charge sheet could be delayed.
Shamna Thasneem
After the death of MBBS student Shamna, the Health Department had constituted two high level panels to initiate probe into the alleged case of medical negligence. It is learnt that the two panels have reached a conclusion that the death occurred due to a severe lapse from the side of Medical College authorities. Recently, a crucial meeting of the medical apex body was held, and a report of the same will be filed before crime branch officials probing the case.
“It will be difficult for the medical board to reach at a conclusion ignoring the two earlier inquiry reports pointing to medical negligence”, said Shamna’s father K A Abooty. “I don’t want any compensation from the government.
I want justice. The doctors of Medical College disrespected my girl’s dead body by sending it to a private hospital for further treatment, and it’s very callous of them to have done so”, he alleged.
Shamna’s father, K A Abooty, who launched a legal battle to find the culprits of his daughter’s death, said that he will continue his fight if the decision was in the culprits’ favour. Dr Jills George, Head of the Department of Medicine, is currently under suspension in view of the ongoing inquiry.
Incident
Shamna Thasneem, a second-year MBBS student of the Ernakulam Medical College, died of severe allergic reaction to ceftriaxone injection on July 18 last year. Two different panels had probed her death earlier. Current status: The Crime Branch has completed its preliminary investigation into the death of MBBS student Shamna Tasneem of the Ernakulam Government Medical College.
The investigation team is now awaiting response from the medical apex body to its written queries including the crucial aspect of whether there was medical negligence as alleged by relatives of the deceased or not.
Jerin Michael
“We have received news that authorities are awaiting the results of the examinations conducted at Vellore Medical College. All have ignored the issue, and are least bothered about the ongoing inquiry into the alleged medical negligence“, said Jose, uncle of Jerin Michael, who succumbed to death reportedly owing to a medical negligence at Kalamassery Medical College. According to the hospital authorities, an inquiry by a panel constituted by director of medical education is underway.
Though there were outcries on allocating meagre compensation for the relatives from various sides, including MLAs, the bereaved family members received only Rs 10000. In many cases that occurred after Jerin’s incident, the state government has disbursed huge amounts as solatium, the relatives pointed out.
But in a clear case of medical negligence, Jerin’s death remains ignored. However, the relatives added that they are waiting for justice and not compensation in this case.
Postmortem report indicates the cause of Jerin’s death as appendicitis. Doctors associated with Medical College, who requested anonymity, maintained that the state’s health sector has been better equipped to prevent deaths due to appendicitis as early as 50 years ago.
“A surgeon can conclude if the patient is suffering from appendicitis after touching the sides of his abdomen; no CT scan is required for this. However in this case, the patient was directed to go for a CT scan for diagnosis. Citing that they would get free scanning test after a few days delayed the treatment further”, stated the doctor.
Incident
Jerin Michael, a sound engineering student at a private institute at Pachalam died, according to his relatives, without receiving proper medical attention at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery. He was taken to the hospital around 6.30 am on March 25 following a severe stomach ache.
He died around 11.20 pm without even getting a consultation of the on-call surgeon. Current status: The Kalamassery police had taken over the case registered at Edathala police station under Section 174 of the CrPC, based on the statement of the relatives of the deceased.
Mithila Mohan
Unlike in other cases, in the sensational case pertaining to the killing of liquor baron Mithila Mohan, the investigators have not unravelled the mystery behind the murder.
The second accused in the case, Pandiyan, is no more, and the third accused, Mathivanan and fourth accused, Uppali, are to be located and arrested. The weapon used and the vehicle involved in the crime are also to be seized. “Earnest and sincere efforts are being continued to locate the remaining two accused along with seizure of weapons,” said an Ernakulam CBCID officer.
Santhosh Kumar is the only person who can identify and give details of the remaining accused. The police team developed a caricature of two other accused with the help Santhosh and a crime card was circulated across the state through the media. Based on this, inquiries were conducted to trace the third and fourth accused. The crime cards were also sent to all DCRB in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Sirumani, wife of second accused late Dindigal Pandyan and Sambath, an active member of Pandyan’s group, were interrogated, but to no avail.
In 2016, someone named Mathivanan who was involved in a murder case at Central Jail, Coimbatore was interrogated. However, it was confirmed that he was not the wanted accused in Mohan murder case.
Incident
On April 5, 2006 at 8.50 pm somebody entered the courtyard of Mithila House at Vennala and rang the bell. When Mithila Mohan came out, the assailant shot him and escaped.
The incident occurred a day before the India-England one-day international cricket match at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium.
Seven years later, the crime branch team arrested Santhosh Kumar alias Kannan, but later he was released on bail. After that, the police could not make any headway in the case. Current status: Mohan’s family members approached the Kerala High Court seeking CBI probe in the case, but the request has been pending for several years.