A forensic expert on Saturday said the details of the post-mortem examination of the body of Dalit youth Ilavarasan indicated that he could have been hit by a speeding train.
Talking to The-Hindu over phone, Dr. Vallinayagam, Dean, Government Medical College Hospital, Tiruchirapalli and former Director and Professor in Forensic Medicine, Madras Medical College, who has performed over 12,000 post-mortem examinations, pointed out that certain findings, such as the presence of a black grease mark on the left forearm and wrist, the damage to the skull and the covering membrane of the brain being torn irregularly could all have been because of being hit by a train.
After getting to know the details of the three-page autopsy, he explained that the train’s speed and the manner in which the body came in contact with the moving train also mattered. The autopsy had concluded that Ilavarasan had died of head injury and recorded external injuries, including abrasions on his forearms, lacerations and a deep cavity in the head. Brain matter at the scene was recovered. The rib cage, heart, liver, spleen and kidneys were normal.
A copy of the post-mortem report and video recording of the autopsy were given to Ilavarasan’s father on Friday.
