Laxmikant Sharma held Vyapam scam secrets, death must be probed, says Congress

BHOPAL: Former Madhya Pradesh minister Laxmikant Sharma’s death has swung the focus back on the 2013 Vyapam scam that rocked the state – even the country – as investigating agencies uncovered sensational details of how medical admissions were manipulated by a clique of powerful politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen.Sharma had spent 18 months in jail custody before getting bail in December 2015.He never got back into the cabinet and was always believed to have harboured deep secrets of the scam.
“I know who the big players are. Come what may, I won't disclose the real names,” Sharma had told TOI in an interview six years ago, before being detained by the state’s special task force (STF) in connection with the scam.
Sharma had kept the secrets close to his chest till his last breath on Monday. But his death gave fresh ammo to Congress, which demanded that the “circumstances leading to his death” be made part of CBI’s Vyapam probe. According to sources, the central investigation agency was preparing to file a chargesheet against Sharma in the sixth case later this week.
“His death is not normal. Why had he said that he was only a pawn in the scam and there was a threat to his life? This is a mysterious death which should be included in the CBI probe,” Congress spokesperson K K Mishra tweeted.
Mishra said Sharma and two other members of his family got infected with Covid-19 after attending a wedding. “The two family members recovered. He died,” said the Congress leader.