Son of slain leader poisoned
2006-06-02 13:06
New Delhi - The son of a murdered leader of India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was on life-support after being admitted at a Delhi hospital with suspected food poisoning on Friday, doctors said.
Rahul Mahajan, 26, the son of the slain Pramod Mahajan, was taken to the Apollo Hospital at 03:00 along with Mahajan's close aide, Vivek Maitra, who died of food poisoning, doctors said.
The two were admitted to the hospital in the early hours of Friday after a late-night dinner.
Initial investigations showed that Maitra died due to food poisoning but it was not clear what caused the poisoning, doctors said. Police, meanwhile, have not ruled out foul-play.
"He (Rahul) is in a critical but stable condition. His blood pressure, respiratory rate and oxygen level were low. He has been put on a ventilator and our medical teams are constantly monitoring his condition," Ritu Rawat, a spokesperson for the hospital told reporters.
Senior Delhi police officer Manish Aggarwal said Maitra and Mahajan had consumed champagne and food with three other unidentified guests at the dinner.
Police also recovered a white powdery substance suspected to be cocaine from Maitra and Mahajan and have yet to rule out the use of drugs.
"We are checking out every angle," Aggarwal said, declining to elaborate further.
Leader shot a month ago
The incident comes as a major blow for the Mahajan family after the leader's tragic death last month. Pramod Mahajan succumbed to bullet injuries on May 3, after being shot by his younger brother, Praveen.
Pramod Mahajan, 56, BJP general secretary and a former federal minister, was tipped to take over the BJP leadership in the coming months.
After his father's demise, Rahul Mahajan was attempting to make a foray into Indian politics. He had attended BJP executive meetings in New Delhi early this week.
- SAPA