Kathua rape victim sank into coma due to overdose of sedatives: Forensic experts

Overdose of sedatives, forcibly administered to an eight-year-old rape victim during her captivity in Kathua in January this year, could have pushed her into coma before she was killed, forensic medical experts have said.

The crime branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, probing the gang rape-andmurder case, sent a sample of her viscera to a forensic laboratory earlier this month to examine the effect of "mannar" candies (believed to be local cannabis) and Epitril 0.5 mg tablets, administered to the girl by her captors.

According to the medical opinion received recently by the crime branch, the doctors said the tablet given to the eight-year-old girl could have pushed her into a state of shock or coma (loss of consciousness).

The crime branch had asked the medical experts to comment upon the plausible effect of the medicine on an eight-year-old girl with an empty stomach.

The crime branch decided to seek further medical opinion after it was claimed by the accused and their lawyers in the court, as well as on social media through their supporters, that it was virtually impossible that the girl could not have cried for help when such an alleged brutal attack was happening on her.

The doctors, after examining the viscera, opined that the medicine administered to the victim contained Clonazepam salt and had to be administered under medical supervision keeping in mind the age and weight of the patient, reports PTI.

"Considering her (victim) 30-kg body weight, the therapeutic dose of 0.1 to 0.2 mgs per day divided in three doses for patient (is recommended)," it said.

"She was forcefully administered five tablets of Clonazepam of 0.5 mg each on January 11, 2018 which is higher than the safe therapeutic dose. Subsequently more tablets were given...the signs and symptoms of an overdose may include drowsiness, confusion, impaired coordination, slow reflexes, slowed or stopped breathing, coma (loss of consciousness) and death," according to the opinion of the medical expert.

The peak concentration of Clonazepam is achieved in the blood after one hour to 90 minutes of oral administration and its absorption is complete, "irrespective of administered either with or without food", according to the concluding opinion of the medical expert.

The opinion would be submitted before the district and sessions court in Punjab's Pathankot, hearing the matter, after the summer break next week. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was on Sunday trolled and abused on Twitter over a controversy involving the issuance of passport to an inter-faith couple.

Last week, a Passport Seva Kendra official, Vikas Mishra, in Lucknow was transferred after the inter-faith couple alleged that he humiliated them when they went to the office with their passport applications. According to the couple, he asked the husband to convert to Hinduism and pulled up the wife for marrying a Muslim.

A section of social media attacked Swaraj and the ministry for taking action against Mishra, claiming that he was just doing his duty.

“Biased decision #ISupportVikas Mishra shame on you mam...is it effect of your islamic kidney??(sic)” read one tweet.

However, the minister took it on the chin and retweeted some of the tweets that were even abusive and communal