After having been in an unconscious state for two days, the key accused in the Sheena Bora murder case Indrani Mukerjea on Sunday regained consciousness and the doctors attending on her at the State-run JJ Hospital said that her condition had shown vast improvement and that she was “out of danger”.
However, the premature inference drawn earlier by doctors attending on her that the deterioration in Indrani’s health might have been due to drug overdose fell flat as the forensic report received on Sunday confirmed that there was no medical evidence to suggest Indrani had consumed more than the prescribed number of tablets.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil demanded to know if Indrani had attempted to commit suicide or whether was it an attempt on her life.
In what came as a relief to officials at the Byculla women prisoners’ lock-up who had come under the scanner following the drug overdose controversy, Dean of JJ Hospital TP lahane categorically stated that the high-profile patient was “out of danger” and he would take a call on her discharge from the hospital after keeping her under observation for 24 to 48 hours and taking the opinion of doctors and psychiatrists attending on her.
Talking to media persons at the hospital in the afternoon, lahane said: “Indrani Mukerjea is now conscious but drowsy.
The doctors speak to her through oral commands. We have given her water to drink now. Her condition has shown vast improvement”.
After two days of confusion over the suspected excessive intake of drugs by Indrani, lahane confirmed that the forensic report received by the hospital indicated that the suspected drug overdose had not contributed to her sudden illness.
Asked as to why the hospital authorities had suspected that the deterioration in Indrani’s heath was due to drug overdose, lahane said that Indrani was responding well to the line of treatment meant for excessive intake of drugs. He, however, hastened to add that the doctors could not say for sure that Indrani’s illness was not due to drug overdose.
During is interaction with the media on Saturday evening, lahane had said that there was no trace of drugs found in the gastric test and blood test reports were awaited.
However, he had said that Indrani’s urine sample, sent for an examination to the Hinduja Hospital, had tested positive for benzodiazepines (a class of heterocyclic organic compounds used as tranquillizers, such as librium and Valium).
“The urine report by Hinduja Hospital laboratory in Mahim is positive for benzodiazepines with a level of 2,088 (as against normal 200). However, we did not find the presence of drugs in the gastric test”. He, however, had said that Indrani’s blood reports were awaited on Sunday.
Earlier, in the day, talking to media persons, Vikhe-Patil said that Indrani’s sudden hospitalisation due to suspected drug overdose had thrown up questions on whether it was a suicide attempt on her part or attempt on her life.
Vikhe-Patil said that the manner in which the Maharashtra Government chose to move out Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria from his post at a time when the investigations had picked up pace and two of the accused had confessed to their complicity in the crime and subsequently decided to hand over the case to CBI, had given rise to suspicion.
“Over and above, Indrani’s sudden hospitalisation presumably due to drug overdose has not only raised questions but the development has also given credence to the suspicions nursed in many quarters over the handling of the Sheena Bora murder case by the Fadnavis Government. Now everyone wants to know whether Indrani attempted suicide or whether there was an attempt on her life,” Vikhe-Patil said.
Indrani’s hospitalisation came four days after the CBI took over the investigations into the Sheena Bora murder case.
Meanwhile, the CBI will in all likelihood seek the custody of Indrani and two other accused, when the judicial custody of the three accused in the Sheena Bora murder case ends on Monday.
Given her health, it is quite unlikely that Indrani will be produced before a city court on Monday. However, two other accused, Indrani’s second husband Sanjeev Khanna and driver Shayamvar Rai, will be produced before the court.