Gujarat Doctor Found Hanging, Son Accuses MP Of Issuing Threat: Cops

Days after a doctor from Veraval town in Gujarat's Gir Somnath district died allegedly by suicide, his son submitted an application to the police seeking registration of an FIR against a Member of Parliament and the lawmaker's father for “threatening” the medical practitioner and usurping nearly Rs 1.75 crore.

The Veraval City police station accepted the application by Dr Atul Chag's son Hitarth on Friday, and started further investigation into the case, said Superintendent of Police Manoharsinh Jadeja.

Dr Chag, an MD Physician, was a well-known doctor of the Veraval region. He was found hanging from the ceiling fan of his hospital in the town on February 12. Police had found a one-line suicide note blaming the MP and his father.

While his family had claimed at that time that the note was indeed written by Dr Chag, police had said it had been sent for forensic analysis to ascertain its authenticity.

On Friday, Dr Chag's only son Hitarth approached the Veraval police station and submitted an application seeking registration of FIR against the lawmaker and his father under Indian Penal Code sections including 306 (abetment of suicide), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 506-2 (criminal intimidation).

As per the application, the MP and his father had a close relationship with Dr Chag for the last 20 years and the duo had borrowed nearly Rs 1.75 crore from the doctor in instalments since 2008 by winning his trust.

According to Hitarth, the MP's father had given four blank cheques to Dr Chag to win his trust. When the duo stopped responding to Dr Chag's repeated requests to return the money, the latter deposited one of the cheques of Rs 90 lakh in the bank but it was dishonoured, Hitarth said in his application.

When Dr Chag sought an explanation, the duo allegedly warned him of “dire consequences” and also threatened to abduct his only son. According to Hitarth, the MP had openly threatened his late father saying that nothing would happen to him as he is a lawmaker.

Days before the suicide, the duo had verbally abused Dr Chag and had also threatened to kill him and his son Hitarth for demanding the money back, as per the application.

The threat and the thought of losing money deeply upset the doctor, as per his son.

Hitarth further said that the note found by police on February 12 was indeed written by his father and his father took the extreme step out of shock and fear.