Rajasthan Shocker: CHC doctor murdered by 2 colleagues

Baran: In a disturbing incident that has sent shockwaves through Rajasthan's medical community, a young medical officer posted as in-charge of the Koyla Community Health Centre (CHC) was allegedly forced to consume excessive alcohol and then murdered by two colleagues- a nursing staff member and a health supervisor who drowned him in a river as an act of revenge over a workplace dispute. The police have arrested both accused in connection with the case.

According to local media reports, the doctor identified as Vaibhav Chawla was found dead in the Parvati River near Kotdi Sunda village. His body was found floating in the river on May 18, while police also recovered an abandoned motorcycle, clothes, and a mobile phone from the riverbank.

The police at first considered this case a suicide, but later CCTV footage showed that on the day of the incident, two hospital personnel were taking him on a bike, which raised suspicion of foul play.

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The investigation led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Omendra Singh Shekhawat made a major breakthrough when it was revealed that two men - the main accused, Ashok Kumar Verma, a nursing officer posted at Koyla CHC and Health Supervisor Shankarlal Bairwa were involved in the doctor's death.

During interrogation, the two accused confessed to the crime and revealed the motive behind murdering the doctor. Ashok revealed that there had been an earlier dispute between him and Dr Chawla over administering injections. Though the matter was settled at the time, Ashok frequently skipped duty or arrived late.

Dr. Chawla, being the in-charge of the CHC, used to mark him absent and had even issued 4–5 show-cause notices to Ashok last month. This angered Ashok, who would tamper with attendance records by signing them himself without permission. Ashok then shared his frustration with his fellow colleague Shankarlal Bairwa, and together they planned to teach the doctor a lesson.

On May 17, after duty, Dr. Chawla was returning to Baran on his motorcycle. Ashok Kumar Verma stopped him, citing the heat and asking to have a cold drink. He later persuaded him to go for a swim in the river. The three went together and later headed to Kotdi Sunda village, where Ashok had bought five beer cans, water bottles, and cigarettes. They made Dr Chawla consume a large amount of alcohol. Once he was heavily intoxicated, both Ashok and Shankarlal drowned him in the Parvati River.

After committing the murder, they walked back to Koyla around 7 PM. The next day, when Dr. Chawla’s father came looking for him at the hospital, both accused pretended to know nothing and tried to mislead him, as reported by Patrika news.

Upon learning of Dr. Vaibhav Chawla’s death, his family members staged a protest outside the office of the Inspector General of Police in Kota on Saturday. They strongly alleged that their son’s death was not a suicide but a murder. The family accused the doctor and hospital staff of involvement in the killing and demanded their immediate arrest, along with the death penalty. During the protest, the family created a ruckus inside the IG’s office and submitted a memorandum urging a CBI investigation into the entire case.

To solve the case, police reviewed the CCTV footage from Koila and the surrounding areas and sought help from the cyber cell. Footage from a grocery shop in Kotdi Sooda village showed Ashok Kumar Verma and Shankarlal Bairwa taking Dr Chawla on a motorcycle. During intense interrogation, both accused confessed to the crime and were subsequently arrested. They have been remanded to police custody for three days, and further investigation is underway.

Expressing deep regret and outrage over the incident, the United Doctors Front (UDF) association, Rajasthan, extended their support to the deceased doctor's family and demanded a high-level and impartial investigation into his death before police confirmed that the case was not a suicide but a pre-planned murder.

They demanded that the bereaved family should be provided with appropriate financial assistance, and a member should be given employment on compassionate grounds, and to prevent recurrence of such incidents, strict security and safety measures should be put in place at all government hospitals and health centres.

Further, the association also met the Honourable Health Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Khinvsar and discussed in detail regarding the incident.

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