The BJP has demanded a high-level independent inquiry into the post-mortem report. (symbolic image)
However, the BJP has maintained that Singh died after the lathicharge and alleged that the post-mortem report was “manipulated”.
The Patna district administration has claimed that the post-mortem examination of the body of BJP leader Vijay Kumar Singh, who was killed during the party’s Bihar assembly march last week, has revealed that he died due to heart disease and other related complications.
Officials had said that on July 13, Vijay Singh, the party’s Jehanabad district general secretary, was brought to the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) in an unconscious state, where he died with no injury marks on his body.
However, the BJP maintained that Singh died after the lathicharge and alleged that the post-mortem report was “manipulated”.
“The postmortem report which was made available by the Patna Medical College Hospital. A histopathological examination was conducted by the institute to ascertain the exact cause of Singh’s death.
“After a detailed analysis of the reports, the medical board concluded that Singh died due to heart disease and other complications related to it,” the district administration said in a statement late on Thursday.
It is also clear from the CCTV footage that BJP functionaries fainted in Chajju Bagh area between 1:22 pm and 1:27 pm, while the lathicharge took place at Dak Bungalow crossing area, the statement said.
The BJP, however, termed the postmortem report as ‘manipulated’ and demanded a high-level independent probe.
“Vijay Singh died due to police lathicharge. The post mortem report has been completely rigged. We demand a high-level independent inquiry into the medical report prepared by the PMCH,” Vijay Kumar Sinha, leader of the opposition in the Bihar assembly, told PTI.
He alleged that Singh’s post-mortem report was prepared following instructions from top officials of the state health department.
“This is not the first case. The health department officials concluded the two murder cases in Vaishali and Lakhisarai as heart disease cases,” alleged Sinha.
Senior RJD leader and Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Tejashwi Yadav holds the health portfolio.
Reacting to Sinha’s allegations, RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said, “The post-mortem report has revealed that Singh did not die of police lathicharge. The allegation made by the BJP is baseless. Now BJP leaders should stop politicizing Singh’s death. We are all saddened by his death. The assembly march, organized in support of the agitation against the teacher recruitment policy of the state government, started from Gandhi Maidan and was halted a few kilometers away from the assembly premises.
Apart from lathis, the police resorted to water cannons and tear gas shells to disperse the BJP workers who were trying to break the barricade.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI,