Another Sadiq Batcha? Month after I-T raids, TN Health Minister Vijayabaskar’s aide found dead

In a situation eerily reminiscent of the 2011 Sadiq Batcha case, a close aide of Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar has been found dead at Namakkal district on Monday.

His death comes a month after Subrumani’s residence was raided by Income Tax officials on April 7, as part of searches on properties belonging to Vijayabaskar and his relatives. The department had carried out raids in over 35 locations in Tamil Nadu. During the raid, several incriminating documents were reportedly retreived by I-T sleuths from Subramani's residence. 

He was a contractor who often procured tender for government buildings, especially those that the state Health Ministry sought to construct. He was reportedly involved in the construction of several hospitals and even smaller medical centres in the district. 

Subramani allegedly committed suicide by drinking pesticide at his coconut farm that is 20 km way from his residence. He went to the 10-acre farm at around 8 am and reportedly surveyed it. He then went to rest in a room that is built on the grove itself. But when he did not come out for a long time after going in, some workers forced open the door, only to find him slumped on the bed. Following this, he was rushed to the hospital. But he failed to respond to the treatment given. He is succeeded by his wife, son and a daughter.

The suspicious circumstances of his death have, however, not gone unnoticed. It comes six years after a close aide of former Telecom Minister A Raja and Managing Director of a real estate firm, Sadiq Batcha was found dead. Batcha was found hanging in his Chennai house in March 2011. The CBI had filed a closure report in the case, terming it as a suicide in 2012.

Since then, there have been multiple allegations that Batcha was killed because he was giving away vital information on A Raja in the 2G case. A 24-year-old youth had even claimed that he along with the then state police intelligence chief Jaffer Sait and Raja's relative Paramesh Kumar were responsible for the murder. 

Documents of the Income Tax department raid that took place at Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar’s house in Chennai revealed that Rs 89 crore had allegedly been distributed to many leaders of the AIADMK (Amma) faction to bribe voters in the RK Nagar bye-elections.  Vijaybhaskar and his wife, Ramya are still being quizzed by the I-T department in connection to the documents and money seized at the raid.