Thursday, December 23, 2010

India News: Death of an Indian Cadiologist in Saudi Arabia

Indian doctor returns from Saudi Arabia with husband's body

New Delhi:  Eleven months after Ashish Chawla died in his sleep in Saudi Arabia, his body was finally consigned to flames here Wednesday after his wife Shalini Chawla returned to India. She was detained for months by Saudi authorities, who suspected of her being involved in his death.

"She returned today morning to India with the body...We have cremated him with full rites," Shalini's 72-year-old uncle H.P. Nagpal told IANS Wednesday.

A doctor, Shalini's nightmare started after her 36-year-old cardiologist husband, Ashish Chawla, working at the King Khalid Hospital in Najran in southwestern Saudi Arabia, died in his sleep Jan 31 this year.

Based on complaints of his local and Pakistani colleagues, Najran authorities started inquiries and detained Shalini for interrogation in March this year. Kept in solitary confinement for 25 days, she was allowed to keep her new-born son, but was separated from her two-year-old daughter.

The investigations did not find any foul play, but a second inquiry was launched in August by another team. But even this team did not find any whiff of wrongdoing.

According to Saudi diplomatic sources, the initial inquiry had to be started as colleagues had suspected that Ashish had been poisoned.

Also, the case had become complicated as it was alleged by his Pakistani colleagues that Chawla had converted to Islam.

"It was sought to be turned into a Hindu versus Muslim case. There was no question of him converting. He had not changed his name on his passport or any other documents," said Nagpal.

"Ultimately, they found that the complaint was baseless," he said.

The case was formally closed Nov 30, but another twenty days was required to complete the formalities.

Nagpal was highly appreciative of the effort of the local Indian consulate to get Shalini back to India.

"They have been very helpful, especially the Indian consul general in Jeddah Syed Ahmed Baba who gave all support to Shalini," he said.    (source:ndtv)

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