Nirupama death: AIIMS experts say ‘probable cause’ hanging

The Pathaks were opposed to Nirupamas affair with a fellow journalist,Priyabhanshu Ranjan,as he belonged to another caste,and Sudha was arrested on the suspicion that she killed her daughter because of it. Her body was found on April 29.

The police on Sunday issued a notice seeking explanation from three doctors who had conducted Nirupamas autopsy for not preserving her viscera and foetus and for not mentioning the time of her death,Koderma SP Kranthi Kumar said.

AIIMS experts believe this is a serious lapse,as the above evidence could have helped the police crack the case faster. Their explanation is required since they committed serious lapses, said SP Kumar. Koderma Civil Surgeon Dr P Mohan,under whom the doctors Shiv Kumar,Ashish Kumar and Kriti Kumar worked has also sought an explanation,warning that we will take strict action if we do not get satisfactory replies.

AIIMS experts have also suggested a forensic examination of the pillow allegedly used for smothering Nirupama as well as the cloth with which she is said to have hanged herself. According to them,while the evidence present did not rule out hanging,this could be confirmed only after having a detailed discussion with the doctors who had conducted the autopsy.

Dr Sudhir Gupta,AIIMS Associate Professor and a leading forensic expert,who was asked for his opinion by the police,told The Indian Express: Keeping in view the postmortem report,I can say that neither smothering nor hanging can be ruled out. In fact the report supports hanging as the probable reason for death and not smothering. It is necessary to also ask for the comments of the doctors who conducted the autopsy to come to any conclusion. The case doesnt look very complicated however.

According to sources in the AIIMS Forensic Department,had Nirupama been smothered,there would have been signs of her putting up a resistance and injury marks on her body.

While the omission of the time of death in the autopsy report is a serious lapse,a police officer told The Indian Express that the doctors had submitted a supplementary postmortem report stating that her death had taken place 12 to 36 hours before the autopsy.

Nirupama worked as a sub-editor with The Business Standard in Delhi and had met Ranjan while they were both studying in Delhis Indian Institute of Mass Communication. Ranjan works for PTI (Bhasha).

Her family has filed an FIR accusing Ranjan of fraud,rape and abetment to suicide,saying he had gone back on his promise of marriage,and that a pregnant Nirupama had killed herself as a result.

Earlier,Delhi Police Special Cell had seized Ranjans laptop as well as phone to examine the messages and e-mails they exchanged. According to a late-night report,Jharkhand Police DGP Niaz Ahmed said all the data on Nirupamas laptop,which they had seized from her boybriend,was missing.

Ranjan has apparently told the police that on April 27 night she had told him to download all their photographs on the laptop onto a pen drive and delete the same. Ahmed called it a serious matter that would be investigated seriously.

Speaking in Darbhanga to PTI,Ranjans father Ramashankar Kanth said his son was innocent and that there was pressure on Nirupama to break off the relationship.

My son had informed me on the day Nirupama died that he received an SMS from her saying her mother,father and brother had bolted her inside a bathroom in their house.

A state government employee posted at a block office,Kanth added: We believed that nothing would happen as both of them were journalists. But what happened thereafter has shocked us.

Released today morning so that she could attend Nirupamas shraddh,Sudha Pathak said: We trust the court and hope we get justice.