Lakhimpur:  CBI will now probe the death of a health department clerk Mahendra Sharma.  A CBI official arrived in Kheri yesterday and inspected the Pasgawan Community Health Center (CHC) where Sharma was found dead on February 15, 2012.

Sharma (52), posted in Pasgawan in Kheri district, was found dead in his residential quarters at the CHC with injuries on his body. He was reported to be missing since February 7 when he had left for Pasgawan CHC to resume his duties.  

His wife Mithilesh Sharma had lodged an FIR of murder implicating the then Chief Medical Officer J P Bhargava, deputy CMO Balbir Singh, CHC incharge S C Gupta, clerk Rajesh Hans and two of the employees union office bearers.  

The cause of the death in the postmortem report was described due to ante-mortem smothering.  The Kheri police during their investigation claimed to have recovered a suicide note from the room and described it as suicide.

However, the kins of the deceased insisted on CBI inquiry into the death claiming it to be murder.  Sharma's death rocked the health department as it was linked to NRHM scam.

The family members had claimed that Sharma was killed as he refused to cooperate in the misgivings at the CHC regarding NRHM programme.