Jayalalithaa death probe: Commission seeks probe into roles of Sasikala, her nephew Dr Shivakumar

There are certain questions that remain unanswered. For instance, who decided to switch off the CCTV cameras at Apollo when Jayalalithaa was being treated? Hence, the Arumughaswamy commission report recommended that a probe be conducted to investigate certain people who were around Jayalalithaa in her final moments.

The panel probing the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has recommended an investigation into the roles of VK Sasikala, former Tamil Nadu health minister C Vijayabaskar, and Sasikala's nephew Dr Shivakumar in the case.

The 450-page report of the retired judge A Arumughaswamy has been tabled in the Tamil Nadu assembly. To recall, the commission was set up five years ago,  in 2017, after the merger between the Edappady Palanisamy and O Panneerselvam camps took place. Since then, the commission has summoned many people. Sasikala had, from the Bengaluru jail, written to the commission giving answers to questions posed by it with regard to the treatment given to Jayalalithaa.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi ruled out foul play when Jayalalithaa was taken to the Apollo hospital for treatment. There were speculations at the time, but those who were present at the time when Jayalalithaa fainted -- Sasikala and Dr Shivakumar, who was also Jayalalithaa's personal physician -- immediately took her to the hospital. 

However, there are certain questions that remain unanswered. For instance, who decided to switch off the CCTV cameras at Apollo when Jayalalithaa was being treated? The commission alleged that Sasikala issued fake statements on Jayalalithaa's health. The Arumugasamy Commission claimed that Dr Richard Beale recommended that Jayalalithaa be taken abroad for treatment, but Sasikala allegedly blocked it. The report also questioned Sasikala's intent behind allegedly stopping Jayalalithaa from getting an angiography. 

The Arumughaswamy report also noted discrepancies in the versions narrated by Sasikala and others. Hence, the Arumughaswamy commission report recommended that a probe be conducted to investigate certain people who were around Jayalalithaa in her final moments.