States »SoutPosted at: Nov 16 2021 7:24PM Madras HC orders re-postmortem of fisherman allegedly killed by Lankan Navy
Madurai, Nov 16 (UNI) The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court
today ordered re-post mortem on the body of fisherman, Raj Kiran,
who died after a Sri Lankan patrol vessel hit the boat in which he
was fishing
The deceased fisherman Raj Kiran hails from Kottaipattinam village
in Manamelkudi Taluk in Pudukkottai district.
When the writ petition filed by his wife R Brundha claiming that her
husband was shot dead by the Lankan Navy personnel, came up
for hearing, Mr Justice G R Swaminathan directed the Tahsildar
and the police officials to exhume the body of the fisherman, which
was buried at Kottaipattinam, and perform a re-post mortem on the
spot on November 18 in the presence of government doctors and a
retired forensic expert on behalf of the petitioner.
He said the re-post mortem report should clearly clarify in its
report as to whether Raj Kiran was shot dead or he died by
drowning and posted the case to next hearing on November 24.
In her petition, Brundha prayed for an interim direction to exhume
her husband's body and conduct a re-postmortem by a team of
minimum two doctors who have a Master's degree in forensic
medicine and are attached to two different Medical Colleges and
Hospital in the State and further the forensic autopsy is carried out
by strictly adhering to the norms laid down under full video coverage
within a stipulated time that may be fixed by he Court.
She also sought a direction to immediately register a First Information
Report initially as a case of suspicious death of her husband.
She said that while Raj Kiran and two others were fishing, the Sri Lankan
Navy intercepted and alleged that they had crossed the international
maritime border.
The Sri Lankan Naval authorities also claimed that they were fishing in
Sri Lankan waters and therefore they tried to arrest them for the same
on October 20.
The official narrative received from the Sri Lankan naval authorities that
was passed to her through the local fishermen leaders was that when
these three fishermen were trying to escape from the Sri Lankan navy,
the Lankan patrol boat accidentally collided with the Raj Kiran's boat
and his two colleagues and the boat sank in the sea.
"Because of this, I was informed, that my husband Raj Kiran had drowned
and died and that the body was missing, while the other two fishermen,
Suganthan and Xavier, were saved by the Sri Lankan naval authorities,
arrested and taken to the Kankesanthurai harbour and sent in judicial
custody in Sri Lanka", Brundha said.
She also said after two days search, Raj Kiran's body was found by the
Lankan authorities.
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