Police say Zafar Hussain died of cardio-respiratory failure

The autopsy of a man who was beaten up by government officials last week suggested that he died of cardio-respiratory failure and there were no marks injury marks on his body, local police said on Monday.

The death of Zafar Hussain on Friday triggered outrage after his family members and villagers said that he was lynched by a group of municipality officials whom he tried to stop from photographing defecating women.

Hussain’s kin and other residents of his locality were sceptical of the report. “He was a lean and fit man. How could he have died of heart attack?” said Kalu Khan, Hussain’s neighbour.

Others suggested that the report had been manipulated to save the government officials.

“According to the post-mortem report, which was released on Saturday, the tentative cause of Khan’s death was cardiac-respiratory failure,” SHO of Pratapgarh Sadar, Mangi Lal Bishnoi said. The final cause of death will be ascertained after the report from the forensic science laboratory (FSL) arrives, he said.

Police said that viscera samples — portions of internal organs —were being sent to the forensic laboratory.

The municipal commissioner is among four people named in the FIR under section 302 (murder) of IPC lodged by Hussain’s brother. Shivraj Meena, Pratapgarh superintendent of police, told IANS that the post-mortem report does not indicate any injuries on his body. “We are going ahead with our investigation. I can assure you that it will be fair and impartial,” he added.