MP businessman, wife die by suicide, alleging ED harassment; Agency denies claims
Bhopal: The deaths of businessman Manoj Parmar and his wife Neha Parmar, who were found hanging in their home in Ashta, Madhya Pradesh, on Friday, have triggered a heated political debate. A purported suicide note, which surfaced on social media, alleges harassment by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and pressure from BJP leaders, further intensifying the row.
The suicide note, addressed to several prominent figures, including the President of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, urges Gandhi and other Congress leaders to ensure the safety of the deceased couple's children. The note accuses the ED and BJP of targeting the family due to their political association with the Congress. Manoj Parmar’s children had supported Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra by gifting their piggybank, which the Congress has cited as a reason for the alleged harassment.
Congress leaders, including former Chief Minister Kamal Nath and state president Jitu Patwari, have claimed that the deaths are not suicides but "state-sponsored murders." Nath alleged that the ED and BJP government harassed Parmar to force him to join the BJP. Patwari visited the family and vowed to support them. He further accused investigative agencies of being misused to intimidate political opponents.
In response, Madhya Pradesh BJP media in-charge Ashish Agrawal condemned the Congress for politicising the incident. He accused Congress leaders of exploiting the tragedy for political gains and urged them to understand Parmar's legal history before making allegations.
The ED, in a statement, denied allegations of harassment and termed the deaths "unfortunate." The agency stated that searches were conducted on December 5 at four locations linked to Parmar and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with a bank fraud case. The ED claimed to have recovered incriminating documents, frozen a bank balance of ₹3.5 lakh, and identified four immovable properties linked to the case.
The investigation stems from a CBI FIR against Parmar and a senior Punjab National Bank (PNB) manager, accusing them of availing loans worth ₹6 crore under government schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Employment Generation Programme and Chief Minister Yuva Udyami Yojana. The ED alleges that the funds were diverted into personal accounts and withdrawn in cash to invest in properties.
Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Akash Amalkar confirmed that a typed suicide note in the form of an application was recovered. However, he refrained from disclosing further details, citing the ongoing investigation. Statements from the grieving family are yet to be recorded.
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3.42 lakh fraud cases detected under Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY; Over 56,000 unnecessary surgeries
New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry informed Parliament on Friday that nearly 3.42 lakh fraudulent cases, including unnecessary surgeries, have been detected under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
Responding to a query by Congress MP Murari Lal Meena in the Lok Sabha, the ministry revealed that as of 11 December, 342,988 fraud cases had been identified under the health insurance scheme, which was launched in 2018.
According to the ministry's written response, 286,771 cases were linked to medical management, while 56,217 involved surgical management. The scheme has recorded 8.39 crore hospital admissions to date, with fraudulent cases accounting for less than 0.5%.
The government assured that measures are in place to detect and prevent fraud in the implementation of the scheme.
