Court order 'confusion' as autopsy stalls :NBMCH seeks clarification on team of doctors

SNS, SILIGURI. 10 DECEMBER: SNS, 19 Dec 2020:   Though the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Jaipaiguri Court, has asked for a second post-mortem of the body of Ullen Roy, the protester killed during the BJP-police clash in Siliguri on Monday, t
he North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) authorities failed to perform the same even today.The court has also sought a compliance report from the police by tomorrow,

Roy died of alleged police "bullets" fired from a shotgun during the BJP's 'Uttarkanya march' on Monday.

Significantly, police conducted a post-mortem late in the night the same day at the NBMCH.

Terming the midnight post-mortem as illegal, Roy's sister Santibala Roy had appealed to the Jalpaiguri Court on 8 December for a proper inquest.

It is learnt that the police and NBMCH authorities were hesitated to follow the court orders yesterday and has now finally decided to seek a clarification from the Court about its directions.

"The police appealed to the Court in this regard, but failed to manage the clarifications today," a source said.

Asked to comment, the principal of the NBMCH, Prof Prabir Deb, said: "I have heard that the post-mortem has not yet been conducted for the second time as the Court has not issued further orders."

"The Court's order for conducting the PM for the second time was not clear. The first PM was conducted by three doctors with a video of it recorded. There was no clear instruction on whether a new team of surgeons would conduct the fresh PM. We don't have additional doctors. We have only three autopsy surgeons, who were engaged in conducting the PM the first time," Prof Deb said.

Sources said police informed the courtt that though they requisitioned doctors, the hospital authorities failed to provide them.

BJP leaders, meanwhile, said that the Jalpaiguri M P Dr Jayanta Roy, is keeping a close eye on the matter, while remaining in touch with Roy's family.Reacting to the delay in conducting the PM, BJP leader Shreerupa Mitra Choudhary said: "After sunset, except for extraordinary circumstances, conducting the PM at midnight is illegal. Bereaved family members are still waiting for the body for cremation and other rituals."

Ms Choudhary, who came down heavily on the police, said the Siliguri police have registered cases against BJP leaders Kailash Vijawargiya, Dilip Ghosh, Tejaswi Surya, and seven MPs elected from North Bengal, along with 3,000 party workers, including herself.

BJP national spokesperson Raju Bista, who is also the Darjeeling MP has said the police attitude, which followed "instructions from Mamata Banerjee," was barbaric and inhuman.

"Police, having failed to maintain law and order, have engaged in saving an incompetent TMC government as its party cadres.We appeal to the Centre to conduct CBI inquiry and clamp President's rule in Bengal," Mr Bista said.