UMERKOT/ HYDERABAD: A judicial magistrate on Monday ordered a special medical board to carry out exhumation of Dr Shahnawaz Kunbhar’s body today (Tuesday) to confirm if he was subjected to torture in police custody and burnt.

The judge passed the order on a request made by police and said the board be headed by Dr Wasim, acting police surgeon of Hyderabad, would conduct the exhumation and autopsy at 11:00am on the body of Dr Kunbhar, who was allegedly killed by Mirpurkhas police in a staged encounter on Sept 19.

The other members of the board are; AMS (medico legal) of Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) Hyderabad, Dr Tahir Qureshi; Prof Dr Wahid Nahyoon, forensic expert of LUMHS and Dr Rahil Khan, pathologist.

The exhumation would be carried out in connection with crime No 44/24 under Sections 296, 296, 341, 114, 336B, 147, 148, 149 read with Section 19917 of ATA, Umerkot taluka police station.

DG health had written to police surgeon for exhumation on Oct 3.

Investigating officer, DSP Aslam Jagirani, said the victim’s family claimed in the FIR, that Dr Shahnawaz was tortured to death in police custody and that his body was later set on fire.

He said the post mortem would aim to determine whether the body was indeed burned and, if so, how. A chemical examination would also be conducted to confirm this charge, he said and added the autopsy would also check for signs of torture, including any broken bones. Police would guard the gravesite during the exhumation process, he said.

Court hears petition on incident

The Mirpurkhas bench of the Sindh High Court heard on Monday petitions on Dr Shahnawaz’s murder.

A petition filed by Pir Umar Jan Sirhindi sought dismissal of FIR filed against him and others on charges of inciting mob to violence and the other petition lodged by heirs of Dr Shahnawaz called for judicial inquiry into the murder.

Barrister Asadullah Rashdi said that his client had requested provision of a complete copy of the investigation conducted by Sindh IGP but he had not yet received it.

He contended that the ongoing police investigation was illegal as the death in police custody should be investigated by the FIA under the supervision of Human Rights Commission especially since the case involved cybercrime.

Dr Shahnawaz’s brother-in-law, Advocate Ibrahim Kunbhar, reiterated that police could not investigate the case. They planned to make the investigating officer a party in the next hearing of the case and request the court to transfer the probe to the FIA, he said.

Rioting suspects produced in court

Nine suspects in Dr Shahnawaz murder case were produced in antiterrorism court in Mirpurkhas on Monday. They were accused of rioting and setting fire to a police mobile during protests against Dr Shahnawaz in Umerkot.

Lawyers for the suspects, Bilal, Saddam, Shakeel, Mohammad Shahid, Mohammad Sahil, Altaf Hussain, Mohammad Ayaan, Mohammad Bilawal and Wahhaj, argued that their clients were not present at the scene of the incident and sought bail for them.

But the public prosecutor Pradeep Kumar said that social media and CCTV footages clearly showed faces of the suspects engaged in rioting.

The court adjourned the hearing till Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2024