A team of three forensic doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, conducted a second postmortem on Dalit youth Ilavarasan’s body on Saturday, as per the Madras High Court’s directions.
Shortly after the three-hour autopsy, around 5 pm, the Government Dharmapuri Medical College Hospital (GDMCH) staff handed over Ilavarasan’s body to his parents. His funeral is likely to be deferred until Sunday till some arrested lawyers are released.
Meanwhile, family members and villagers of Natham Colony, from where Ilavarasan hailed, have unveiled plans to construct a memorial for him at his proposed cremation site. A land measuring 30 cents (13,080 sq ft) has been acquired at the entrance of Natham Colony for the purpose.
The Dharmapuri administration has refused permission for VCK leader Thirumavalavan to attend the funeral considering the prevailing communally surcharged atmosphere and imposition of prohibitory orders. Ilavarasan’s father Elangovan opposed this.
Ilavarasan, whose eight-month old love marriage with Vanniyar girl N Divya had failed due to interference by leaders of a caste Hindu outfit, was found dead near a railway track behind the Dharmapuri Government Arts College on July 4. Though a postmortem was conducted at the GDMCH the very next day, his body was preserved on the orders of the High Court after a petition was filed seeking a fresh autopsy.
Meanwhile, the forensic experts from the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) who performed a second autopsy on Ilavarasan on the directions of the Madras High Court, have told his family members that they had done their job according to their conscience.
It is reliably learnt that the doctors who met Ilavarasan’s father Elangovan had told him that “we did the autopsy according to our conscience”. Following this, Elangovan expressed faith in the job performed by the three doctors. The autopsy was done by a three-member AIIMS team comprising Forensic Department Head Dr D N Bharadwaj and Additional Professors of Forensics Dr Sudhir Kumar Gupta and Dr Millo Tabin from 2.10 pm to 5 pm.
Addressing journalists outside the Government Dharmapuri Medical College Hospital (GDMCH) where the post-mortem was conducted, the doctors said they had examined 13 queries on the first autopsy raised previously by the High Court-appointed forensic experts. The doctors said their report addressing these 13 points would be submitted to the High Court in a sealed envelope soon.
After the autopsy, authorities at the GDMCH where Ilavarasan’s body had been preserved since July 4 handed over his mortal remains to his parents. The body was taken to Natham Colony, Ilavarasan’s native village, where a surging crowd of villagers and sympathisers took it in a procession and placed it at his house.
