HC directs govt hospitals to videograph autopsies of people killed in Delhi violence

The Delhi High Court on Friday directed all government hospitals to videograph post-mortem of those killed during the communal violence in northeast Delhi last week.

A bench of justices Siddharth Mridul and I S Mehta asked authorities to collect and preserve DNA samples from all the bodies, and to not dispose of any unidentified body till March 11, the next date of hearing.

"All the government hospitals in Delhi under the aegis of both state and central governments are directed to videograph the post-mortem conducted on all bodies lying in their mortuaries," the bench said.

"The government hospitals are further directed to not dispose of any unidentified body till the next date of hearing," it said.

The bench issued the directions while hearing a habeas corpus plea by a man seeking the whereabouts of his brother-in-law who went missing during the riots over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act which left at least 44 people dead and over 200 injured.

Twenty-five-year-old Hamza went missing on February 26 evening after violence broke out in northeast Delhi.

During the hearing, the court was informed by the police that the body of the missing person, Hamza, was recovered from a drain in Bhagirathi Vihar at Gokulpuri on March 2 and his post-mortem would be conducted during the day at the RML Hospital.

The police had initially registered an FIR against unknown persons for the offence of kidnapping and later provisions of rioting, murder and destruction of evidence were also invoked.

Delhi government standing counsel (criminal) Rahul Mehra and advocate Chaitanya Gosain informed the court that once the post-mortem is conducted, the body will be forthwith released to the family members of deceased for performing last rites.

The court also appreciated the police officials of Gokulpuri area for the alacrity with which they acted in the matter.

The police's counsel also informed the court that in pursuance to its Thursday's direction, details of all unidentified bodies which are brought to hospital mortuaries following the riots in north east Delhi are being published on its official website along with photographs.

The court had also directed the police to make "all out efforts" to locate and produce Hamza before it.

Mehra had told the court that the Delhi government will facilitate the petitioner -- Ansari Mo. Arif -- to visit all the hospital mortuaries where bodies of people who died in the riots have been kept.

"The Delhi Police is also directed to publish the details of all the unidentified dead bodies that are lying in the various hospital mortuaries -- both under the control of the Centre and the Delhi government -- along with photographs and other details, including specifics of post-mortem and DNA samples, on their official website," the court had said.