Ahmedabad: A man whose father died after undergoing treatment for a brain haemorrhage has approached the CBI alleging that a railway hospital clerk demanded a Rs 20,000 bribe to clear a medical reimbursement claim of nearly Rs 7 lakh.The CBI has registered a complaint against Biseswar Behera, a clerk at Valsad Railway Hospital, based on a written complaint filed on Wednesday. The agency’s FIR states that the allegation disclosed the offence under the anti-corruption law and that a regular case was registered for investigation.According to the complaint, Divyesh Patel’s father, a Western Railway pensioner, suffered a brain haemorrhage on July 3, 2025, and was admitted to a private hospital in Surat. He remained under treatment until July 30, with the family incurring expenses of Rs 6,95,326.Patel said he subsequently submitted the medical documents and bills at the Valsad Railway Hospital for reimbursement on behalf of his father. His father died on Aug 17, 2025.The complainant said he thereafter followed up on the reimbursement and met Behera, who was the “dealing hand” for the claim. Initially, the clerk allegedly told him that he was processing the case. Patel alleged that Behera subsequently repeatedly pointed out deficiencies in the documents.The complainant said he submitted the revised bills to Behera on July 15, 2026, after which the clerk told him that all documents were complete.However, according to the complaint, Behera allegedly told him that he would clear the reimbursement file only after receiving Rs 20,000 as a bribe.Patel said he refused to pay and waited for the reimbursement to be processed. “Till now, the reimbursement file is not cleared by him,” he stated.The complaint further alleges that on Aug 3, Behera contacted Patel through WhatsApp and asked him to meet after office hours the following day “in connection with payment to clear the medical bills”. He allegedly said he would call Patel around 5.30pm.“I do not want to pay bribe to Biseswar Behera for my rights,” Patel stated in his complaint, requesting action against the railway employee.The CBI registered a case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
