Hospital Where GD Agarwal Died May Sue His Ashram For Defamation

The All India Institute Of Medical Sciences in Rishikesh, where environmentalist GD Agarwal died after a 110-day fast, has threatened to file a defamation case against the ashram with which he was associated for accusing it of being a part of a "conspiracy" to kill the activist.

But the Matri Sadan ashram reiterated its charge Saturday, saying it would file a complaint against the hospital.

AIIMS director Ravi Kant said the institute would take the Rishikesh ashram to court over the conspiracy allegation. "We have given the green signal to our legal team to go ahead and file a defamation suit against Matri Sadan for levelling an unfounded allegation like this against a premier medical institution like ours," he told news agency PTI on Saturday.

On the other hand, the ashram head Shivanand said he planned to file a complaintagainst those involved in a "conspiracy" to kill the Ganga activist. He said he planned to sit on an indefinite fast for the cause of Ganga and to take Swami Gyanswaroop Sanand's fight to its logical conclusion. The fast is likely to begin on October 20, he said

AIIMS director Ravi Kant said there was no question of the hospital handing over GD Agrawal's body to any other institution since he had himself donated it to the Department of Anatomy for medical education and research.

Swami Avimuketshwaranand had said Friday he will go to court to claim Agarwal's body as the seer was his disciple and the AIIMS had been part of a "conspiracy" to kill him.

Ravi Kant rubbished the conspiracy theory and claimed GD Agarwal was admitted to the hospital twice during his fast and stayed there for about three weeks altogether. He added that activist shared a bond with the doctors and held the institute in high regard.

The activist had continued his fast even in the hospital then.