Tamil Nadu Homeopathy doctor ends life, family alleges torture by official

The family said that the doctor took the extreme step on Saturday due to the torture by the Joint Director of Health Services, Tamil Nadu, Dr Lakshmanan who was asking bribe of Rs 20,000 every month from Dr Srinivasan.

In the complaint filed by the deceased Doctor Srinivasan's wife, Shanthi, the Joint Director of Health Services had threatened that the clinic, Electro at Lakshmipuram in Periyakulam of Theni district run by her husband would be shut down if an amount of Rs 20,000 was not paid every month.

She complained that the Joint Director used to regularly threaten her husband saying that Allopathy medicines were given at the homeopathy clinic and that he would seal the clinic if a bribe was not given to him regularly.

In the complaint, Shanthi said that her husband had got an order from the Madurai Bench of the Madras High court that he was running the clinic as per the rules and regulations of the Tamil Nadu health department. Dr Srinivasan, according to his wife, also filed a legal notice against the Joint Director of Health Services. She alleged that even after this the Joint Director of Health Services, Dr Lakshmanan personally met her husband and threatened him that he would seal the clinic. 

The deceased doctor's wife also said that her husband had told her that the Health Joint Director was in the process of sealing his clinic and that he was helpless and would commit suicide. This was on November 19, she said.

Dr Srinivasan was later found dead in his clinic on November 20 and after postmortem at Theni district hospital, the body was handed over to the family. However local people protested and conducted a sit-in dharna refusing to receive the body. Later police said that a case was registered against Joint Director of Health Services, Dr Lakshmanan for abetment of suicide under Sec 306 of the Indian Penal Code.

Senior police officers told IANS that the funeral of Dr Srinivas took place on Sunday and that investigations have commenced on the reason behind his death on the basis of the complaints filed by his wife.