Morbi: Sans autopsies, case against responsible likely to weaken

MORBI: If the suspension bridge collapse exposed the Morbi civic body's brazen callousness towards public safety, the police investigation is also riddled with loopholes that could considerably weaken the prosecution case against those responsible for the tragedy which claimed 135 lives .
While no visible efforts are being made to trace Oreva Group promoter Jaysukh Patel, police did not perform the postmortem of a single body citing the provisions of Disaster Management Act.
Officials state this as the reason for not conducting autopsies, but the same has not been mentioned in the FIR. As per rules, it's mandatory to categorically mention in the FIR the reasons for not conducting postmortem in unnatural deaths.
On October 30 evening, many bodies were sent to Morbi Civil hospital and private hospitals. Even in the blast cases including the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts which left 56 dead, postmortem was conducted on some bodies.
When contacted, investigating officer PA Jhala, "Postmortem is not performed in any of the deaths caused by a disaster."
The local court also rejected the prosecution's plea to add IPC section 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) in the FIR for the want of documents.
"The insertion of section 338 of IPC is not allowed, as from the MLC (medico-legal case) form produced in the court, it does not emerge that the eight victims who have suffered injuries are of grievous nature," said chief judicial court of Morbi in the order pronounced on November 1.
Meanwhile, Jaysukh Patel is incommunicado since October 30.
When asked, Rajkot range IG, Ashok Kumar Yadav, said, "He might be at his home. If he is not an accused in the case, why should the police go and arrest him?."