Organ trafficking slur on Army docs

Aditya Kaul in New Delhi

September 8, 2004

Are doctors in the premier Army Research and Referral Hospital involved in the organ transplant racket? Allegations to this effect have been made by Kishore Kumar -- whose kidney has been reportedly removed -- in an FIR he filed at the Connaught Place police station in New Delhi.

The Statesman managed to access this FIR (558/2004) and went through its contents. Kishore claimed that he had been taken to the Army Research and Referral Hospital and had been operated on by two doctors on 13 February. When contacted, the Army public relations officer, Colonel SK Sakhuja, said: "The army is awaiting the police report."

An accused, Sanjay Kumar, has been arrested by Delhi Police under the Human Organs Transplantation Act, after Kishore filed the complaint.

The victim, a native of Motihari in Bihar and employed as a menial labourer, said he came to Delhi about seven or eight years back. He told police. "I met Sanjay Kumar outside Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place."

In January, Kishore told Sanjay that he was suffering from stomach ache. "He (Sanjay) told me that he knows a person by the name of Sanjay Singh, who has good contacts in leading government hospitals."

Kishore said he was then taken to Army Research and Referral Hospital. Here he met two men -- Rajpal and VK Prasad -- who introduced themselves as "hospital employees". "They asked me if I had an authorisation to get admitted to the Army Hospital, I told them that I had none. They then suggested that I get admitted under a false name -- Jagdish -- who they said was a resident of Ranchi and has a card."

According to Kishore's statement, several tests were carried out on him and he was also made to sign several papers -- all under the name of Jagdish.

On 12 February, Kishore was taken to the ARRH by Sanjay Singh and Sanjay Kumar. That day he was introduced to another person -- Nilambar -- who took him to the "fourth floor". "On 13 February, I was operated on by two doctors -- Colonel Gadela and PP Verma," he said in the FIR.

When Kishore regained consciousness, he realised that he had been operated on the right side of stomach and felt an emptiness. "However, Sanjay Singh, Nilambar and VK Prasad told me that the operation had been successful." Kishore said he was kept in the hospital for 15-20 days.

He then went back to his native place. However, pain and exhaustion forced him to consult a local doctor who told him that his right kidney had been operated on. A panicked Kishore rushed back to Delhi. "I met Sanjay Kumar and Sanjay Singh and they told me that my kidney had been removed and nothing could be done now."

After an FIR was filed, he was taken to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital where a medical examination was carried out (Medico-Legal case 113363). He was then referred to Diwan Chand, Satya Paul Aggarwal and X-Ray Clinic Laboratory. "Tests carried out on him confirmed that Kishore has only one kidney," a police officer said.

Sources confirmed that an operation had taken place on 13 February on a person named Jagdish by two senior doctors, Colonel Gadela and PP Verma, who are still working in the Army hospital's Nephrology department.

Copyright © 2004 The Statesman.

This article posted October 11, 2004.