Doctors at the State-run Goa Medical College and Hospital refused to conduct autopsy on the dead body of a tribal leader on Friday, who was charred to death during an agitation on Wednesday. The authorities refused to perform the task saying the dead is yet to be identified.
The State police said that the dead body was of an ‘unknown’ person, as it was charred beyond recognition.
A source said, “Doctors told that the post-mortem can only be conducted, when it is certain that the dead cannot be identified. If identified, without the consent of the family members, the autopsy cannot be done.”
Sources stated that officer from Cuncolim police station, who had signed papers to conduct post-mortem, had to return without doing it.
Police have already moved to conduct DNA test of the body which is suspected to be of Manguesh Gaonkar, a tribal youth, who headed Adarsha Yuva Sangh, an association of local youths.
Police recovered bodies of two tribal leaders, who were burnt to death by a mob at Balli village, 60 kms South from Panaji, in the wee hours of Thursday. Tribals were agitating to demand implementation of reservation in the government jobs when an unruly mob, allegedly with the support of police, attacked them.
Meanwhile, authorities have performed post-mortem on the body of the another victim.
United Tribal Alliance Association (UTAA), which was heading the agitation, has said that the family members have refused to take over the bodies of both the youths.
“Those involved in killing them should be punished, without which, the bodies will not be accepted by the families,” UTAA President Prakash Velip said.
Meanwhile, UTAA members today held a token hunger strike at Azad Maidan in Panaji, to protest against the killing of their members and also to press for their demands.
