CHANDIGARH, May 4, 2013
His skull and ribs were broken; attackers meant to kill him, says doctor
The second autopsy conducted on the body of Sarabjit Singh is likely to remain inconclusive, as many of his body parts, including the heart, kidneys, gall bladder, and large portions of the stomach and brain, had been removed.
Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal said the post-mortem was conducted at the Patti Civil Hospital on Thursday night. Doctors who did it informed him that it may not be easy to ascertain the exact cause of death. He expressed his reservations over the removal of the organs.
Head of the Forensic Sciences Department of the Government Medical College and Hospital in Amritsar Dr. G.S. Rai told reporters that the organs could have been removed during the autopsy done at the Jinnah hospital in Lahore.
Dr. Rai, who led a team of five doctors that conducted the post-mortem, said that after examining the multiple injuries on the body, he was convinced that the attack was carried out with the intention to kill Sarabjit.
The skull had cracked into two pieces and the scalp was swollen, indicating a severe injury that could have ultimately led to his death. At least five ribs, jaws and the chin bone were also broken, he added.
The doctors at the Lahore hospital, where Sarabjit was treated for almost a week after he sustained serious injuries following an attack inside the Kot Lakhpat jail, had announced that he died after midnight on Thursday due to a cardiac arrest.
Dr. Rai said most of the injuries were caused by a heavy blunt weapon and the body did not show any evidence of being attacked by the weapon. It was evident that a group of persons attacked him, as one person could not have inflicted so many grievous injuries to Sarabjit. The body was in “good healthy” condition.
The team of Indian doctors are said to have sought a copy of the autopsy report from the Lahore hospital.
While Dr. Rai said the injuries appeared to be six to seven days old, Sarabjit’s sister and elder daughter felt he died much earlier. They said doctors and paramedical staff attending on him in Lahore mocked at them whenever they visited Sarabjit.
