Police surgeon reveals shocking details to commission

Dr Summaiya tells she was pressurised to declare Mir Raza death suicide; followed and threatened

KARACHI:

Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told the Judicial Commission probing the Mir Raza Ali case on Monday that she faced pressure and threats to declare the death a suicide, while the presiding judge expressed serious concern over missing or unproduced police records and evidence.

Appearing before the commission headed by Justice Umar Sial of the SHC, Dr Summaiya said she was followed on a motorcycle for two days and warned that she would be treated "lightly" if she declared the death a suicide.

She also alleged that her residential address and her husband's name were shared on social media. She said DIG Amir Farooqi had asked her to include in her report what he was telling her to write and indicated that the investigation against her would otherwise be kept "light".

Dr Summaiya said she had lodged a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).

When Justice Sial asked whether she required security, Dr Summaiya declined police protection. The commission nevertheless said it would recommend Rangers security and inform the IG Sindh police. "This is unacceptable to us," Justice Sial remarked, directing the commission's focal person to inform the chief minister and home minister.

Dr Summaiya said findings from the second post-mortem were inconsistent with suicide. She said Mir Raza had an injury on the back of his head, a fractured nasal bone and a mark indicating that he had been struck by a hard object while alive.

She also said the initial identification of the bullet entry point was incorrect. According to her, the bullet entered from the back, fractured ribs and damaged the lung and heart.

The police surgeon said gunshot residue was detected on both of Mir Raza's hands, while laboratory reports confirmed hydrochloric acid residues on his shirt. She said chemical-burn marks were found on his hands and feet and that four skin specialists had been consulted. "The marks on the hands could only have been caused by hydrochloric acid," Dr Summaiya told the commission, adding that the acid could not have originated from the stomach.

She said stomach samples were sent to a laboratory and the organ was intact, with no evidence of leakage.

Dr Summaiya said the second post-mortem included 263 photographs and that blood from the heart, stomach samples and pieces of the shirt were sent for forensic examination.

The police surgeon also said forensic examination established the presence of anaesthesia in Mir Raza's heart, indicating that the substance had been present in his bloodstream. "At most, it can be said that anaesthesia was present in Mir Raza's body when he was shot," she said.

She said local anaesthesia could cause loss of sensation for two to nine hours and could prove fatal if administered intravenously in a high dose.

The commission questioned whether anaesthesia could have been administered through a spray. Dr Summaiya said such administration might not leave detectable traces. She said Mir Raza went missing on July 28 and his body was recovered around 11.30am the following day.

Dr Summaiya said she first expressed concerns about the case to the SSP East on August 2 and formally recommended exhumation on August 3. She repeated the recommendation during a police meeting on August 5.

She said the original medical board comprised highly experienced experts but all members except her were later replaced.