2nd autopsy on Zubeen was legal necessity: Doctor

Guwahati: Zubeen Garg’s second autopsy, conducted on Tuesday morning before the cremation, was challenging. According to doctors the singer’s body started decomposing over four days since his death.The second autopsy was conducted at GMCH in the presence of expert doctors from three medical institutions — GMCH, Pragjyotishpur Medical College and Hospital, and AIIMS Guwahati.CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said govt agreed to the second autopsy following public demand amid growing questions over his unnatural death. The first autopsy done in Singapore was a virtual one, which is non-invasive. Doctors at GMCH said if the conventional autopsy was skipped it could have posed legal challenges later as virtual autopsy is still at the trial stage in India.According to a senior doctor from a renowned health institute in Guwahati, in medico-legal cases that involve injuries or deaths requiring legal investigation, like in the case of Zubeen’s death, a virtual autopsy, which is non-invasive, may not explain the exact reasons behind death. While confusion persists over whether the autopsy covered all aspects in Singapore, a health expert from a renowned hospital in Guwahati said since virtual autopsy is under trial, some outcomes of such virtual autopsy may be legally challenged in India. Thus, he said a conventional autopsy in Assam was important.A senior doctor at GMCH said a conventional post-mortem in India was important to ascertain the “actual cause of death” that is legally acceptable in the state and the country without any dispute.