KOLKATA: The Calcutta HC’s order on Tuesday for exhumation of IIT Kharagpur student Faizan Ahmed’s body for a second postmortem refers to two visible injury marks on the back of the head and the presence of a chemical in the hostel room, where the third year mechanical engineering student was alleged to have died by suicide.
Justice Rajasekhar Mantha’s order said the “base of the skull ought to have been examined and reported by the postmortem doctor, which has not been done”. It also mentioned cut marks on the arms of the student that seemed to have been “inflicted after death”. It cited a November 17 police report as stating that a chemical identified as Emplura (sodium nitrate) had been seized from the hostel room.
Sandip Kumar Bhattacharya, the amicus curiae in the case, told the court during Tuesday’s hearing that sodium nitrate is normally used to preserve meat, at which Justice Mantha said that “when a body decomposes, it is impossible that the fellow inmates of the hostel would not be able to detect it”.
After Faizan’s parents questioned the original postmortem findings, the court had sought a second opinion from Ajay Gupta, a former forensic and toxicology professor. In his report, Gupta said the video of the first postmortem revealed some injuries “over the (cranial) vault of the head” and “front left side of the chest” that were not mentioned in the report. He recommended a second postmortem after exhuming the body.
The court said the exhumed body would have to be brought back to Calcutta Medical College morgue, for which it requested a local court in Assam to ease the process. It also directed that a forensic expert from Assam be present when the body is exhumed. Justice Mantha made it clear that the order for a second postmortem “should not be construed as casting any aspersions on the state police since they have proceeded primarily on the postmortem report given to them”.
Faizan’s mother Rehana told TOI that the court’s order validated the family’s suspicion that he didn’t die by suicide. “We will get justice. We have full faith in the Calcutta HC. We suspect they (the institute) are trying to shield some people who need to be identified and prosecuted. ”
Justice Rajasekhar Mantha’s order said the “base of the skull ought to have been examined and reported by the postmortem doctor, which has not been done”. It also mentioned cut marks on the arms of the student that seemed to have been “inflicted after death”. It cited a November 17 police report as stating that a chemical identified as Emplura (sodium nitrate) had been seized from the hostel room.
Sandip Kumar Bhattacharya, the amicus curiae in the case, told the court during Tuesday’s hearing that sodium nitrate is normally used to preserve meat, at which Justice Mantha said that “when a body decomposes, it is impossible that the fellow inmates of the hostel would not be able to detect it”.
After Faizan’s parents questioned the original postmortem findings, the court had sought a second opinion from Ajay Gupta, a former forensic and toxicology professor. In his report, Gupta said the video of the first postmortem revealed some injuries “over the (cranial) vault of the head” and “front left side of the chest” that were not mentioned in the report. He recommended a second postmortem after exhuming the body.
The court said the exhumed body would have to be brought back to Calcutta Medical College morgue, for which it requested a local court in Assam to ease the process. It also directed that a forensic expert from Assam be present when the body is exhumed. Justice Mantha made it clear that the order for a second postmortem “should not be construed as casting any aspersions on the state police since they have proceeded primarily on the postmortem report given to them”.
Faizan’s mother Rehana told TOI that the court’s order validated the family’s suspicion that he didn’t die by suicide. “We will get justice. We have full faith in the Calcutta HC. We suspect they (the institute) are trying to shield some people who need to be identified and prosecuted. ”