Dalit man's death: HC orders fresh postmortem

Chennai, Mar 28: The Madras High Court today ordered a fresh postmortem of a 45-year old Dalit man who was found dead in a well under mysterious circumstances in Erode district recently.

Allowing a plea by the deceased's son who suspected that his father had been murdered, Justice R Mala directed the second post-mortem be done by a team of doctors constituted by the Government Medical College and Hospital, Coimbatore, along with the petitioner’s doctor.

"Considering the circumstances, I am of the view that it is a fit case for ordering re-postmortem...," she said and also ordered that the exercise be videographed.

After the re-postmortem, the body should be handed over to the petitioner, the Judge said posting the matter for compliance report on April 4 next.

The Judge had on March 24 directed authorities to keep the body of Chinnadurai in the 'cold storage' of the hospital till today and restrained officials from harassing the petitioner to accept the body.

Petitioner C Balasubramanian of Perunthurai Taluk in Erode district in his PIL had submitted that on March 19 a quarrel broke out between a caste Hindu group and Dalits led by his father in Dasampudur village.

One Dalit was allegedly attacked brutally later. Though police registered a case, they did not arrest the person who allegedly assaulted the Dalit following which agitations were held, led by his father, he said.

In this backdrop, the following day the body of Chinnaswamy was found floating in the well. Stating that that there was no chance of his father committing suicide, the petitioner said he suspected that someone had murdered him.

PTI