Akhlaq's son is admitted to Sharma's hospital

Mohammed Akhlaq’s son Danish is undergoing treatment at a hospital owned by Union Minister Mahesh Sharma, who courted a controversy by describing the lynching an “accident”.

“He (Danish) is recovering but he is still not out of danger. He has sustained critical head injury. He is being treated at our hospital and we have not asked his family to pay the bills,” the minister said.

Sharma, however, ducked the question when asked if his hospital would provide complete treatment free of cost.

“See, I do not look into these things. You should not ask me this question,” he told reporters here at an inter-faith prayer meeting organised at Gandhi Smriti Darshan Samiti. Sharma is the CMD of Kailash Hospital in Noida. The minister also rejected the Aam Aadmi Party’s demand for his resignation saying it is only Prime Minister Narendra Modi who can ask for his resignation.

Vice President Hamid Ansari, BJP veteran L K Advani, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot were among the dignitaries who attended the function.

“Those calling for my resignation are indulging in politics. Who are they to ask for my resignation? Only the prime minister can ask me to resign,” he said. He refused to withdraw his remark that the mob attack was “an accident”, insisting that he said so because the incident was not pre-planned. Sharma, however, condemned the incident.

stice to the victim’s family....and punish those responsible for such incidents,” he said.