Death from ‘food poisoning’: Insufficient proof in PCSIR report to produce challan, says police

Kanza Ahmed’s family demand another IO, say current one under influence of restaurant owner.

KARACHI: The chemical examination report of the toxic burger that killed 13-year-old Kanza Ahmed failed to provide enough evidence to produce a challan before court, claimed the police.

According to the investigation report submitted by DSP Altaf before magistrate Ali Akbar, the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) report did not have sufficient evidence to produce the challan. The police officer said that the fact that the teenage girl’s family refused the autopsy makes it very difficult to carry further investigation.

The family’s lawyer, Sindh High Court Advocate Fahim, said they have challenged the investigation report as they feel it is biased. They have also asked for another investigation officer. “It is evident by the investigation that DSP Altaf is under the influence of the very influential owners of Dilpasand,” said Fahim. “We want an unbiased investigation officer.”  This request was approved by the additional judge, Rashda Siddiqui.

Fahim wanted to know why the chemical examination report was deemed to lack evidence when it clearly said that the burger was not fit for human consumption.

Meanwhile, DSP Altaf clarified that his report has been classified as ‘class A’, which does not mean that the case is closed. What it means is that we need more time for further investigation, he said, assuring that the challan will be produced before the court by March 9. He added, however, that Kanza’s father, Dr Bari, has refused the exhumation of the grave for an autopsy and that is the biggest hurdle they are facing.

Refusing exhumation

According to the family, there was no need of a post-mortem. “The officials know very well that no father would ever want the grave of his daughter to be exhumed,” said Dr Bari. “That’s why they are bent on an autopsy so that I back off the case.”

He added that the autopsy will yield no positive results because the post-mortem examination, gross or microscopic, cannot reveal toxin or micro organisms to tell the cause of death. “Thus the post-mortem examination will not be beneficial at all,” he said.

Dr Bari demanded a board of medical experts to give their comments on whether or not a post-mortem examination can detect such micro organism.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2015.