Lucknow:
The Uttar Pradesh government today recommended a CBI probe into the death of Health Department accountant Mahendra Kumar Sharma in Lakhimpur Kheri district.
"The state government has recommended the probe and a letter in this regard has been sent by the state", a senior Home Department official told Press Trust of India.
The National Rural Health Mission scam in the state had turned murkier with Sharma's death, the fifth victim in the last one year after the alleged bungling of over Rs 10,000 crore of central funds surfaced.
Mr Sharma, 52, who was reported missing since February 7 was found lying in a pool of blood with severe injuries on his head and face, from the Pasgawan health centre of Lakhimpur on February 15.
Two days later on February 17, an FIR was registered against six health officials, including the chief medical officer and his deputy under sections 302 (murder) and 120 b (criminal conspiracy).
Those against whom FIR was lodged included Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr J P Bhargava, Deputy CMO Balbir Singh, Pasgawan Community Health Centre (CHC) incharge Dr S C Gupta and Pasgwan CHC clerks Rajesh Hans, Kuldeep and Munna Lal.
Ante-mortem smothering was stated to be the cause of the death in the autopsy report. Six injury marks were also found on his body.
Victim's wife Ms Mithilesh had demanded CBI probe into the matter while alleging that her husband was murdered and suspected five health department officials, including Pasgawan community health centre incharge.
Mr Sharma was stated to be fifth victim in the alleged NRHM scam. In 2010-11, two senior doctors Vinod Kumar Arya and B P Singh associated with the health department were murdered within months of each other.
Another doctor Y S Sachan, one of the accused in NRHM scam was found dead in a Lucknow jail.
In January, a UP Jal Nigam engineer Sunil Verma allegedly committed suicide because he was being investigated in connection with the scam.
The news of Mr Sharma's death had generated a lot of hue and cry in the poll season, with opposition parties targeting BSP over the matter.