Kottayam: Financier Rajkumar who died in the Peerumade sub-jail was subjected to severe torture, according to the postmortem report accessed by this paper.
The deceased, who was booked by the police in an economic offences case, suffered seven contusions and six abrasions. The remarks portion of the postmortem report says that the pattern of contusion injur-ies denoted infliction of ‘falanga’ under detention. This means that the person was hung and the sole of his foot was badly hit by someone.
“It was evident that a significant force was inflicted on the layer beneath the ‘Plantar facia’ (a cushioning layer of connective tissue for the protection of the sole legs),” said a former head of the department of medical colleges who preferred anonymity.
The severe contusions can indirectly lead to renal failure and broncho pneumonia, which may have occurred in this case. The postmortem report says that the kidneys (right 185gm; left 204 gm) were congested and swollen.
The cause of death was pneumonia. “The postmortem findings are consistent with the death due to pneumonia, a lung disease. The deceased had sustained blunt force injuries,” the report said.
Congestions can also lead to pneumonia. Brain 1230 gm was congested, says the autopsy report. Dr B.K. Jameskutty, associate professor of Forensic Medicine at Kottayam MCH, conducted the postmortem.
The expert says that the absence of oxygen availability in the brain can cause brain odema (swelling) and subsequent death which is apparent in this case. This condition has been caused due to contusions, report says. The postmortem also says that the lungs (right 692gm, left 570gm) were congested and oedematous with foci of consolidation present at the lower lobe maintaining that the lungs were heavy.
