MISINTERPERTED FINDING

This particular case dates back to 2000 when I was working as Associate professor of Forensic medicine,Government Medical college,TRICHUR. A dead body involved in DELHI crime recovered from a park in an half naked condition over the picket fences where one of the spike had penetrated into the chest cavity.The deceased was a native of TRICHUR,KERALA. The body was subjected to medico-legal autopsy at Delhi& the relatives were not satisfied with the cause of death given. I conducted the re-autopsy. I was able to make out 07 ante mortem injuries on the body;out of which injury number 01 included 26circular lacerated injuries spread over forehead & face which could only be produced by shot gun fired at a distance. There was also another circular punched out lacerated wound over the front of left side of chest.The wound was communicating with the chest cavity without injuring any organs.Five postmortem injuries were also made out.( previous postmortem incisions & injuries produced during embalming.)I was able to recover a pellet piece from one of the wounds on the face. Out of the few pellet wounds over the face only two penetrated into the skull cavity. X- ray examination prior to autopsy did not bring anything in favor.As a routine procedure the fragment of pellet recovered,the vault of skull,X-rays taken & were handed over to the authorities under protest The father of the deceased approached the Supreme court demanding CBI inquiry & as demanded it was ordered. The CBI team appointed a medical board & the conclusion of the medical board is funny. It goes like this.1) The deceased was a mentally ill person,2) He was haunted by spirits,3) The multiple injuries described over the face as shotgun wound of entry are nothing but HESITATION WOUNDS.( Hesitation wound means a person who is going to commit suicide by inflicting injuries over ones own body will produce multiple parallel tentative superficial cuts to begin with & when he regains courage sufficiently he will make the fatal wound. These hesitation cuts as it is called are seen over the front of neck,front of wrists etc)This is very unusual for a person to produce multiple injuries spread over face by striking his head over the picket fences.I may say that there is degradation of academic thinking by our own experts.
The doctor who conducted the first autopsy gave his opinion as " CRANIO-CEREBRAL TRAUMA" I gave my opinion as " THE DECEASED DIED OF SHOT GUN INJURY" sustained. THE MEDICAL BOARD gave its verdict as " SUICIDAL & HE WAS MENTALLY ILL & HAUNTED BY SPIRITS". who was right????