Doctors who did scribe’s autopsy issued notice

RANCHI - Three doctors, who conducted the post-mortem examination of Delhi-based journalist Nirupama Pathak found dead at her Jharkhand home April 29, have been issued show-cause notices for not preserving the viscera and foetus of the scribe.

“Three doctors who conducted autopsy of Nirupama have been issued show-cause (notice) and explanation has been sought from them for not preserving the viscera and foetus,” Koderma Sadar Hospital civil surgeon B. Mohan said Wednesday.

According to officials, the doctors team also did not mention the time of her death.

The viscera and foetus were important for the investigation. “The foetus could have disclosed who the father was. The doctors were issued show-cause (notice) after a forensic team visited Nirupama’s home Wednesday and sought the viscera and foetus of the scribe,” a police officer told IANS.

Officials from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and forensic experts visited the scribe’s home in Koderma district for the second consecutive day Wednesday.

According to sources, the team collected samples from the room where Nirupama died under mysterious circumstances. The team also noted the details of calls made after Nirupama’s death.

Police have arrested Sudha Devi, mother of 23-year-old Nirupama, and are questioning the dead journalist’s father and brothers about what some believe to be a case of “honour killing”.

Police officers say the mother is not revealing much.

The family insists that Nirupama committed suicide. But the post-mortem examination said she was murdered by smothering and that she was 10-12 weeks pregnant.

The family has admitted that they were opposed to Nirupama’s planned marriage with Priyabanshu, her former batchmate at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) in New Delhi.

Nirupama’s brother Samarendra says his family is innocent and that it is Priyabanshu Ranjan who should be arrested “for the death of Nirupama”.