File photo of Dr Arun Kumar, Dean of NS Medical College
There does not appear to be "foul play" in the case of the dean of a medical college from Madhya Pradesh whose body was found in a Delhi hotel room on Sunday, said the capital's police chief BS Bassi.
Arun Sharma, 64, was discovered dead on Sunday morning. The police in his home state said he had been providing valuable information in the Vyapam scam, which is centred on bribes being paid to allow proxies to take entrance exams to colleges, and recruitment exams for jobs in government departments. The investigation has seen the deaths of 35 people linked to it, including Mr Sharma.
Mr Sharma's autopsy was conducted in a Delhi hospital today to rule out any attempts at a cover-up. Hours before his death, a journalist covering the Vyapam scam died after suddenly taking unwell in the midst of an interview.
"Prima facie evidence did not suggest foul play," said the Delhi Police chief to reporters, adding that CCTV footage from Mr Sharma's hotel is being examined.
Exactly a year before Mr Sharma's death, the dean of the same college had died of severe burns at his residence in what the police labelled a suicide.
The gruesomely lengthy line-up of deaths in the Vyapam scam has led the opposition Congress to demand that the CBI be tasked to the inquiry, rather than the Madhya Pradesh police, whose probe is being supervised by the High Court. "The Chief Minister is responsible, he must resign," said Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, as others from his party asked why the Prime Minister has not yet spoken on what has surged into a national controversy and concern.