Custodial death: Second autopsy of PP Mathai's body to be held today

Kochi/Pathanamthitta: The second autopsy of P P Mathai, a 41-year-old farmer from Kudappana found dead in a well near his farm house on July 28 after he was taken into custody by the forest department, will be conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday.

A team of senior doctors will conduct the examination in a specially arranged autopsy theatre at the General Hospital in Pathanamthitta. The same team had earlier conducted the re-postmortem examination of the body of the victim in Nedumkandam police custodial death case.

Mathai's body was kept at the mortuary of Marthoma Medical Mission Hospital in Ranni after the first autopsy at the Kottayam Medical College Hospital (MCH).

The CBI will prepare an inquest report in the presence of family members and advocates before handing over the body for postmortem. The re-examination of the body will be held in the presence of chief judicial magistrate and assistant collector.

After the autopsy, the body will be kept at a private morgue in Pathanamthitta till Saturday. The last rites will be held at the St Mary's Orthodox Church in Kudappana on Saturday.

As per the preliminary post-mortem report, Mathai died due to drowning. However, the family alleged that it was a case of custodial death and said that the funeral will not be held until they get justice.

The Kerala High Court had last month directed the CBI to take over the probe.

The division bench, including the Chief Justice, had instructed the authorities to hand over Mathai's mortal remains to the family at the earliest after conducting the re-postmortem. The order came as a relief for the family.