COIMBATORE: The body of a four-year-old girl who was killed by a leopard at Oosimalai estate in Valparai on Saturday was handed over to her parents after postmortem at Valparai government hospital on Sunday. The girl was buried at a burial ground in the town.
The body of A Apsara was brought to the hospital at 3.45 pm on Saturday, within two hours after her death. The postmortem was done on Sunday and the body was handed over to the family at 11.30 am.
Forest department sources said the doctor had to come from Pollachi government hospital, which is located at 60km away, to perform the autopsy. The girl’s parents and relative stayed at the hospital throughout the night. However, sources in the Valparai government hospital denied the allegation.
Speaking to TNIE, a source in the hospital said the postmortem was delayed due to a lack of worker in the postmortem room. “We requested for a worker from Pollachi government hospital, and he arrived at 9.30am. We started the postmortem at 10.30 am and completed it at 11.30am,” sources added.
Valparai forest department staff handed over the initial solatium of Rs 50,000 to her parents. The remaining Rs 9.5 lakh would be handed over soon. “We have sensitised people to the movement of animals and steps they need to follow to prevent such incidents in the future,” said the official.