Mutilated body of woman cremated without autopsy

GHAZIABAD: The Ghaziabad police has launched a high-level investigation to establish how the body of an 18-year-old woman, naked and mutilated, found on a railway track in Simbhaoli development block, was on Wednesday allowed to be cremated without an autopsy by the local police.Locals, who didn't wish to be identified, told this reporterthat the woman may have been abducted and shot.The Simbhaoli police, however,handed over the body to the family without registering any case. When this wasbrought to the attention of the district police chief, Raghuvir Lal, he toldTOI: "This is a shocking matter. I am ordering a high-level investigation intothis case immediately. A police circle officer and two inspectors will becarrying out the probe. I have been told the girl was of unsound mind and mayhave committed suicide. But, all this will be investigated. And, if this is amurder, the killers will be brought to justice. The station officer cansometimes waive an autopsy if the family wants."However, accordingto lawyer SP Chowdhary, "The station officer has absolutely no discretion in thematter of autopsies. And, in this case, where the unnaturalness of the death isobvious, this is true even more so. How can the police now say, for instance,that the woman was not murdered before being run over by atrain?"Residents of the area are shocked but too terrified of theSimbhaoli police to protest. "Jab mritika ka pariwar kuchh nahi bol sakta, toaur log kaise akhbarwalon se baat kar sakte hain (If the family of the deceasedis scared to talk, how can other people speak with journalists in this case?)"said a person living in the area. Another pointed out that "there is a railwayline 200 metres from this girl's house. Why should she choose to come 5 km fromher house to get chopped by a train?"The victim has been identifiedas Meenu of Buxar locality of Simbhaoli. She had been living here with hermaternal uncle, since her mother died and her father in Delhi remarried, someyears ago. While her uncle was not traceable, her cousin, Raj Kumar, declined tosay anything.Contacted about the case, the area additionalsuperintendent of police, Ajay Kumar, simply said, "I do not know about thecase. But, since I recently took charge, here, I have come across four or fivecases where the area police did not send bodies of people dying unnaturally forautopsies. This is wrong. But, they probably presumed there was no foul play inthe cases."He agreed there is no official provision for exemptingany body from being sent for an autopsy in case of an unnaturaldeath.TOI has a photograph of the body. One arm of the woman hasapparently been chopped off by a train besides both legs at the knees, somethingthat's amost impossible to happen with with just one train passing over the bodyon a broad gauge line. Locals pointed out what looked like bullet entry and exitwounds but all this is for the cops to investigate.