Decades later, visceras await test in Aligarh morgue
Thousands of samples, some dating back to 1954, gather dust
ALIGARH: Many death mysteries here remain unsolved. Reason: The police simply forgot to send the viscera to the forensic lab after post mortem examination.
The Aligarh morgue is filled to capacity with hundreds of dust-coated bottles containing human organs like kidneys, liver, spleen, heart and foetuses. These are the visceral samples of those who expired in abnormal and suspicious circumstances. The samples should have been sent to the forensic science lab (FSL) in Agra but the officials concerned and the police forgot all about them.
Last year, nearly 2,000 such visceral samples had to be buried when the morgue was shifted to a new building. According to rules, the samples should be sent to the lab within 15 days, but here they have been rotting for decades.
According to the mortuary records, nearly 2,000 jars of viscera samples are lying unattended in the mortuary, some dating back to 1954. Hundreds of jars related with murder cases of 1980-1990 are also there.
Surprisingly, in one room in possession of the Civil Lines police, 600 jars of viscera are kept
THE SAMPLES SHOULD HAVE BEEN SENT TO THE FORENSIC SCIENCE LAB (FSL) IN AGRA BUT THE OFFICIALS CONCERNED AND THE POLICE FORGOT ALL ABOUT THEM
which date back to 2009. The Civil Lines police had the responsibility to send these samples for lab test and plead the case on the basis of the report. So due to police negligence, 600 cases are pending in court.
Hundreds of families are suffering from grief, hunger and deprivation due to delay in sending these samples for test, as innocent persons have been sent to jail in many cases on suspicion. Guddi of Dhanipur is one such victim. Her husband was sent to jail in a suspected murder case.
The court also held him guilty of murder as the police failed to send viscera for test and get the report. He has been awarded life imprisonment. His appeal is pending in Allahabad high court.
Guddi, wife of Shailendra told HT, “My husband was falsely framed in a murder case which took place in the village. Though the post mortem examination of the body was conducted, the police failed to produce viscera report in court and so the cause of death could not be confirmed. My husband was awarded life imprisonment. Afterwards, it came to light that actually the viscera was not sent to forensic lab at all.”
Similarly, Syed Hashim Ali, 21, was arrested in 2001 in a group clash. He died in police custody. His family alleged that he died of poisoning but this could not be proved in court for want of the viscera report. Zeeshan Ali, a relative of Hashim, said, “We failed to get justice because the police did not send the viscera for lab test.”
Legal expert and a leading advocate Ram Veer Singh Kushwaha said, “Viscera is preserved to ascertain the cause of death. So autopsies are conducted usually in suspected cases of poisoning. The viscera should be sent to forensic lab within 15 days and report must also be received within 42 days. The number of viscera samples lying in Aligarh mortuary indicates that either innocent persons might be jailed or the cases may not be decided at all.” Raju, an attendant of the mortuary said, “This year, viscera samples of 210 persons were collected but only 24 have not been sent to forensic lab. In one room, there are 600 samples and the keys are with the Civil Lines police.”
On the other hand, the police claim that the viscera is sent for test when there is need for that. DIG (Aligarh Range) Mohit Agarwal told Hindustan Times, “If there is a large number of viscera samples in the mortuary, then it is wrong. Action will be taken against police stations or constables responsible for that after an inquiry”. He also said that the viscera should be sent to lab within 15 days and the report must be received in 60 days, otherwise it goes waste.
“Some viscera samples are also kept in the mortuary which are not meant to be sent to lab and the report not required in court at all. We will conduct an inquiry in Aligarh, Etah, Hathras and Kasganj and will take up the process of destroying them. If there is any case which is pending due to viscera report, then action will be taken against the erring staff,” the DIG said. However, the same condition prevails in other districts also. Human rights activist Rashid Khan said, “More than 40,000 cases are pending in the state due to lack of viscera report. The families are facing mental torture due to the long legal wrangles.”