JOIN USSuspected Maoist conduit Soni Sori was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here on Thursday for an independent medical examination on whether she was tortured in Chattisgarh Police custody.
“She was admitted to AIIMS around 12 noon. As per the Supreme Court’s directive, the AIIMS director has constituted a three-member board for the medical examination,” sources from the premier health institute said.
The 35-year-old tribal teacher from conflict-ridden Dantewada district was admitted to AIIMS after the Supreme Court directed the premier health institute for the medical examination to ascertain charges of torture.
The board of doctors has to submit its report to the apex court before July 10. The board includes the head of the department of gynaecology, a cardiac specialist and an endocrinologist to examine and provide her adequate treatment.
Accused of receiving ‘protection money’ from the Essar group on behalf of the rebels, Sori was brought to Delhi early Wednesday.
However, she was could not be admitted to AIIMS due to unavailability of beds, the AIIMS management said.
“We never refused treatment to her. There was some logistics problem as the beds were not available when she was brought here,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity.
“Soni has complained of blisters in her vaginal area and burning sensation. There is some swelling in legs and her deteriorating health is worrying,” counsel Colin Gonsalves said.
“She was kept at a police lock-up near AIIMS which is wrong. She wants the examination to happen soonest,” Gonsalves added.
Sori was arrested on October 4 in south Delhi by a Chhattisgarh police team and was taken to Dantewada.
A special team from a Kolkata hospital had earlier submitted a report to the apex Court stating that it had recovered a certain foreign particle from her body, but could not identify the “reasons how it got embedded in her private parts”.