A CBI probe has been demanded by the Uttar Pradesh unit of Shiv Sena into the death of state minister Chetan Chauhan who died of COVID-19. The Shiv Sena raised a question on the circumstances under which he was shifted from a government hospital in Lucknow to a private facility in Gurgaon.

A delegation of the Shiv Sena met Governor Anandiben Patel and handed over a memorandum to her in this regard, the party said in a statement.

Chauhan, 73, succumbed to Covid-19 on August 16.

Initially, he was admitted to Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) in Lucknow. After his health deteriorated due to kidney-related ailments, he was shifted to Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon where he was on life support for nearly 36 hours.

The Shiv Sena in its statement asked, "Under what circumstances was late minister Chetan Chauhan shifted from SGPGI in Lucknow to Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon? Did the government have no faith in SGPGI, a prestigious institution?"

"The minister was hurt by the attitude of the doctors and staff of SGPGI. Till now, no action has been taken against the guilty doctors and staff of the SGPGI. In the entire episode, the government continued to sleep, and two ministers succumbed to Covid-19," it said.

On August 2, state technical education minister Kamla Rani Varun, 62, had died days after testing positive for Covid-19.

"The government must conduct a CBI probe," the Shiv Sena said.

Earlier, Samajwadi Party MLC Sunil Singh Sajan had alleged that Chauhan died not because of Covid-19 but due to carelessness in his treatment at the SGPGI.