CFSL report rules out foul play in Catholic priest's death

Forensic reports have ruled out foul play into the death of Catholic priest and activist Bismarque while confirming that he died of drowning, police said.
Dias, who was in the forefront of protest against some big tourism projects requiring large-scale land acquisition, was found dead in a river in his village under mysterious circumstances last month.
"We have received the diatom test report. Diatoms in all three exhibits sent are identical. Sternum, lungs and water samples from where the body was found were sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Hyderabad earlier.
"This rules out all theories of murder in any other area and then later dumping the body in the area where the body was found," Superintendent of Police (Crime Branch), Karthik Kashyap said last evening.

Two separate autopsy reports ruled out any injuries on the body before the death.
Earlier, the CFSL had not found any suspicious material in the viscera of Dias.

But, his family had decided to wait till the report of the analysis of a vest, found near the body, was received from CFSL before holding his last rites.
Out of the three reports, the Crime Branch has received two and both have confirmed the police investigation that Dias died due to accidental drowning, police said, adding that they are expecting a chemical report of the vest soon.
The vest was sent to ascertain whether it belonged to Dias.

Recently, Judicial Magistrate First Class, Panaji, had allowed the Crime Branch to conduct a lie-detector test on Darryl Vaz, who accompanied Dias on the night the social activist went missing.
The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) had, however, refused to allow a lie-detector test on a minor boy, who was also with Dias on that night.
Dias had gone missing on November 6 after he went for a swim at night with two other boys from St Estevem village in North Goa.
His body was found floating in a rivulet near the sluice gate at St Estevem Island the next day.