Page 25 - Veritas - 02.03.22

1. Which type of crimes do you encounter the most? And what dif-

ficulties do you face when conducting an autopsy for those cases?

Hanging is one of the most common cases we encounter in the depart-

ment, Puducherry being the suicide capital of India. Hanging caus-

ing mechanical asphyxia is an extremely common form of deliberate

self-harm. Though a case of hanging could be easy to handle, it is an

extremely common case for masking certain important findings. Keen

observation is the key to handling any case. Sometimes, the absence

of ligature marks, the uncommon position and the placement of the

knots in such cases can complicate comprehending or ascertaining

the cause of death. Also, for cases of hanging, specific bloodless flap

dissection of the neck needs to be followed. This might require more

training and expertise than normal.

2. Would you summarize the general procedure of an autopsy, while

emphasising the most important organs or serological samples

that you retrieve or examine first?

The procedure for an autopsy starts with a proper requisition from

the concerned officials on par with guidelines of Sec. 174 CrPC (The

Code of Criminal Procedure) for Police inquest or Sec. 176 CrPC for

Magistrate inquest. After due paperwork, we try to elicit a required

history from the investigating officers and in dicey situations and

demand inspection of the crime scene, we request the officers and

take a visit. Following these, we request the investigating officers to

confirm the identity of the individual and then start with an exter-

nal examination. External examination includes analysing the basic

morphology, build, clothing, appearance. We take note of identifica-

tion marks to establish the identity of individuals for documentation

as this especially comes in handy in cases of unknown or unclaimed

bodies. After identification, we appreciate the changes of death that

can be seen in the deceased like algor mortis, rigor mortis, or livor

mortis. These changes help us ascertain the time since death in cer-

tain situations. External examination also takes into account the de-

scriptions of external injuries which could help determine manner of

death, direction and cause of injuries. We also actively search for