Dr Raj Bothra, an American of Indian origin who was charged with illicitly prescribing millions of pills and making false claims to illegally collect millions from Medicare and other agencies, but later acquitted by a jury, released his memoir titled ‘USA v Raj’ in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Book Unveiling and Film Adaptation
The book was unveiled by actors Anupam Kher and Tusshar Kapoor at a city hotel. A film adaptation of the book was also announced, with actor Kabir Bedi set to play Dr Bothra.
A Life of Service and Sudden Crisis
A Padma Shri awardee, 81-year-old Bothra’s life changed in December 2018 with an unexpected knock at his door. A surgeon and interventional pain expert, he worked in both the United States and India. He helped set up the Nargis Dutt Foundation, worked for the Mother Teresa Foundation, and championed awareness campaigns on nicotine use, AIDS, and alcohol abuse.
Arrest, Imprisonment, and Acquittal
Following his arrest by the FBI on charges that were later proven false, he spent 1,301 days in imprisonment until a jury of twelve ordinary Americans unanimously acquitted him in June 2022.
Bothra Reflects on His Ordeal
Bothra said the arrest shattered everything he had known. “My whole world crashed, my family ruined, my businesses closed and all bank accounts frozen,” he recalled. “I was told that I would die in prison if I did not plead guilty. So be it, I replied. What sustained me was my firm belief that, in the end, truth will prevail against all the odds… I come from a country where dignity and honour are far more important than life itself.”
Support from Friends in the Film Industry
Kher said he knew Bothra and his wife, Pammi, for a really long time, around 30-35 years. "He has done a lot for society, so for him to say that he is just an ordinary man, I don't agree with that. I feel he is an extraordinary human being because of the social work he has done in India. When I heard that the FBI had taken Dr Bothra in on false charges, I was worried and shocked that America, supposedly the most developed and one of the happiest countries in the world, turned out to be a place where something as unjust as this could happen.”
Tusshar Kapoor said, “This is my 36th year of knowing Dr Raj Bothra, and no matter what people say, nothing is enough to describe what he went through, and I think the book does justice to that.”
Message Beyond Legal Reform
Bothra added that he felt compelled to turn his personal trauma into public awareness. “I wrote the book to bring awareness to the common people in America. If I had no idea of a cruel judicial system, I am sure most common people in America are not aware either.”
His reflections go beyond legal reform to a deeply moral appeal. “The most formidable challenge we face is changing the culture of ‘winning at any cost.’ This cultural shift cannot be legislated or enforced… it must originate from within our hearts. Let our shared humanity and our shared desire for justice guide us towards a brighter, fairer future,” he concluded.
