The skeletal remains and viscera found on Thursday in a store room in the Reserve Police Lines in Unnao in Uttar Pradesh date back to 1979 and are from the post mortem house that was once located there.
A five-member committee has been appointed to investigate the matter that has created a sensation, coming as it does on the heels of the recovery of 80 bodies floating in the Ganga near the Pariyar Ghat in Unnao on January 18.
The committee appointed by the DIG, Lucknow Range, R.K. Chaturvedi (Unnao is in the Lucknow Range of the police), comprises the sub-divisional magistrate, a deputy SP, a doctor, a forensic expert and the chief pharmacist. Mr. Chaturvedi, who visited Unnao on Thursday night, told reporters here on Friday that the room was opened in the presence of the Unnao District Magistrate, the SP and the Chief Medical Officer of Unnao. He said the skeletons packed in gunny bags and glass jars containing viscera were found scattered in the room.
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The committee inspected the room in the morning on Friday and found documents relating to the viscera dating back to the year 1979. In all, there were 74 jars containing visceral remains, of which 58 were labelled. “The oldest dated back to 1980 and the latest to 2007.” The DIG said 53 bags containing skeletons were found, of which 47 had labels. Here, the oldest was from 1984 and the latest date was 2007.
Mr. Chaturvedi said the interrogation of three pharmacists, G.P. Verma, V.K. Verma and R.P. Verma, who were posted in the police lines, revealed that the chamber where the remains were found was used as the store room of the post mortem house prior to 1993.
After the construction of the Unnao District Hospital, the post mortem house shifted to the new premises. But the viscera and the skeletal remains continued to be preserved there till 2008.
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The remains, barring those related to unsolved criminal cases, were to be disposed of under a policy formulated in 2010. Mr. Chaturvedi admitted that the authorities had erred in not implementing the decision.