CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered re-postmortem on the body of the 28-year-old G Senthil which was found in a decomposed state in a reserve forest under mysterious circumstances. He was a suspect in the Dharmapuri elephant poaching case.
Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan issued the orders on the petition filed by the victim’s wife, Chitra, alleging custodial torture.
A team of doctors from government medical colleges will perform the re-postmortem. According to the order, the team comprises Dr Gokula Ramanan, HoD of forensic medicine, Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College, Salem, Dr Thunder Chief, HoD, Krishnagiri Govt Medical College, and Dr N Karthikeyan, senior assistant professor, Chengalpattu Govt Medical College.
He directed the team to conduct the re-postmortem on or before April 10 as per guidelines and submit the report on April 15, and adjourned the hearing to the same date.
After the body was found on April 4 in a decomposed state, a postmortem was performed at the Dharmapuri GH. “On perusal of the postmortem, it is silent about the legs and hands of the deceased. According to the specific case of the petitioner, her husband’s nails were removed from the hands and there are signs of custodial torture. Furthermore, his body was thrown into the forest area. A person who was grazing cattle found it and informed the VAO,” the judge observed.
Chitra had also sought for a CBI probe into the death, as she alleged it was due to custodial torture by forest department officials who took him for inquiry on March 17.
The petitioner said the Eriyar police informed her on April 4 that her husband’s body was found in a decomposed state in a reserve forest and a country-made gun was lying near the body.
She also said that the police and the forest department officials were acting hand in glove to cover up the death, and the former had not taken any action against real culprits.
It may be noted that the state government has transferred the case to the CB-CID.