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No external injury in autopsy, says Calcutta high court in custody death case
The Calcutta high court has stated that there does not appear to be any foul play in the death of a man at a Kolkata police station, but has asked for the related CCTV footage to be preserved. The autopsy report suggested that the man's death was caused by a brain haemorrhage triggered by a ruptured aneurysm. The court also asked the man's family to reconsider their request for a second post-mortem. The family had alleged torture and approached the court to seek an independent probe.
KOLKATA: The Calcutta high court on Friday observed that there did not appear to be any foul play in connection with the death of a 42-year-old man who died at Kolkata’s Amherst Street police station on November 15 after reviewing the autopsy findings but asked the police to preserve the related CCTV footage.
“In our view, at present, we do not suspect any foul play by the police. We, however, direct the Kolkata Police commissioner to ensure that the entire CCTV footage (of cameras installed in the police station) is preserved after taking a recording,” a division bench led by chief justice TS Sivagnanam said after the post-mortem report indicated that a brain haemorrhage triggered by a ruptured aneurysm, a balloon-like bulge in the artery, may have led to his death.
The victim, Ashok Kumar Singh (initial reports incorrectly identified him as Ashok Shaw) was summoned to the Amherst Street police station on Wednesday after it allegedly transpired that a used phone he bought had been reported stolen. Police said he had a seizure and collapsed sometime after reaching the police station. His family alleged torture and approached the Calcutta high court to seek a probe by an independent agency.
On Friday, the public prosecutor placed a gist of the case diary and autopsy report, which was conducted on Thursday, in a sealed cover. The state government underlined that the autopsy had been videographed.
The high court noted that the autopsy report did not indicate any external injuries and directed that the video recording be certified by an appropriate authority of the police who would be personally held responsible if there is any tampering.
His family, however, insisted on a second post-mortem. The bench asked them to reconsider their stand.
“There are cases where the court has directed bodies to be exhumed and second and third post-mortems to be conducted. Here the report says no external injury and he died of a brain haemorrhage caused by a ruptured aneurysm. The CrPC (criminal procedure code) provides for a request to be made by the family. Think over it. Else the body would be lying in the morgue” the high court said.
Soon after Singh’s death, his family alleged torture and organised a roadblock outside the police station in central Kolkata for an hour.
BJP leader and advocate Priyanka Tibrweal, who approached the court to seek an impartial probe, said the CCTV footage should be preserved and verified in a CFSL laboratory.
The high court also directed the family to place on record his medical records indicating any pre-existing health conditions.
