Mir Raza autopsy under fire as commission hears of 'missing' details

Serious discrepancies in the post-mortem of Mir Raza Ali emerged before the Judicial Commission probing his death on Tuesday, with Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed telling the panel that several important details had been omitted from the report and that the bullet's entry and exit wounds did not correspond.

The proceedings were abruptly adjourned after Sindh Advocate General (AG) Javed Dero intervened while counsel for Mir Raza's family, Advocate Jibran Nasir, was questioning Dr Summaiya.

Justice Umar Sial of the Sindh High Court, who heads the commission, expressed strong displeasure over the intervention and ordered a notice to Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar to appear before the commission at 9am on Thursday.

The investigating officer submitted the post-mortem report, forensic reports of Mir Raza's mobile phone and smart watch, and statements of witnesses recorded under Section 161 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Dr Summaiya was summoned along with Professor Naseem Ahmed, head of the medical board. She explained that a medico-legal certificate is issued as the first step while police documents under Section 174 of the CrPC are required before a post-mortem can be conducted. She said JPMC conducted between 15 and 18 post-mortems daily, making it impossible for her to attend every case. However, she personally supervised high-profile and suspicious cases. The department had 42 medico-legal officers and its main problem was not a shortage of staff but a lack of interest among some officers, despite training and established protocols.

The hearing took a significant turn when she was questioned about her communications with Dr Usama. Dr Summaiya said she had transcripts of their conversations and spoke to him at 5.46pm on July 29. He told her that a two-day-old body had arrived from Jauhar. She asked about the identification, case history and bullet wounds, after which he sent her photographs of the post-mortem register in pieces. At 2pm on July 30, she asked him about the bullet's exit wound. She also messaged DIG East Dr Farrukh about her observations but received no response. She later held detailed conversations with SSP Zubair and Samiullah and met the officers concerned on August 5.

Dr Summaiya said Dr Usama initially told her that the bullet had entered through the chest and exited through the back. However, when she requested a photograph of the exit wound, he said he did not have one. On July 31, after repeated requests for evidence of the exit wound, Dr Usama sent her a crime-scene photograph. When asked about its source, he allegedly told her that he had obtained it by paying a bribe to someone. Dr Summaiya said the photograph clearly showed a mark on the back. She further said she learned on August 1 that the post-mortem report had been submitted. She informed Dr Usama that several important points had been omitted and asked him to meet her so the omissions could be corrected. She also pointed out that the bullet's entry and exit wounds did not correspond. Dr Usama later said he had made a note "for safety".

When the family's counsel continued questioning Dr Summaiya, Advocate General (AG) Javed Dero objected, saying questions should be asked by the commission. Justice Sial reacted sharply, "if the family wants to ask questions, what objection does the govt have? Are you trying to hide something?" After the SG apologised, the judge ordered a notice to summon Home Minister Lanjar. The commission subsequently adjourned the proceedings.