No headway in Namrita’s death

Postmortem report awaited, histopathological report inconclusive

HYDERABAD: While the postmortem report of the death of Dr Namrita Chandani, a student of Bibi Aseefa Dental College, Larkana, is still awaited, her histopathological examination report has not conclusively established the cause of her death. Although a separate two-page report shared by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) with Larkana police has disclosed regular contact between Chandani and an arrested fellow student, Mehran Abro, nothing beyond that could be traced.

The student was found dead in her hostel room on September 16. Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS), Jamshoro, received samples of her viscera on September 19 and the varsity's pathologists prepared the report by September 26.

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However, the report was shared with the medico-legal officer of Chanka Medical College Hospital, Larkana, Dr Amrita around 11 days late, hospital sources claim. "Sections from the heart revealed partly autolytic change but not significant pathological change. Sections from pieces of lung reveal no significant pathological change. Sections from pieces of liver, spleen and kidney reveal partly autolytic change but no significant pathological change," the report reads.

The histopathological report has not established a cause of death. The MLO has also received the chemical analysis report from a Rohri based laboratory in Sukkur district. However, the DNA report with regard to rape is still awaited after which the final postmortem report will be issued. Meanwhile, the FIA has shared the analysis report of the mobile phones and laptop of Chandani, Abro and Ali Shah Memon, another fellow student who is also in police custody, with the Larkana police.

Sindh police still clueless about Namrita's death

Around 334GB data of her laptop was also analysed, according to police sources. The source informed that Abro remained in contact with Namrita a night before her death. Abro had reportedly deleted several GBs of data from his mobile phone, but the FIA retrieved that data which also included photographs of the deceased.

The judicial inquiry, being conducted by the district and session judge Larkana, has so far recorded statements of 20 students, faculty and staff. But the statements of some other students including Abro and Memon as well as the vice-chancellor, registrar and some other employees are still to be recorded.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2019.