Manner in which Aditi's body transported raises hackles

VISAKHAPATNAM: A day after the body of six-year-old Ch Sai Lavanya Aditi was found on a beach at Dibbalapalem in Bhogapuram mandal of Vizianagaram district, the insensitive and unscientific manner in which her body was handled by the cops has raised the hackles of not just forensic experts but also child rights activists.
Throwing all norms to the winds, Aditi's body was wrapped in a cloth sheet and transported in the boot of an ambassador car from the spot where the body washed ashore, nearly 50 km away from Vizag.
A senior forensic official told TOI on condition of anonymity that the police should have arranged for the post mortem on the spot or in Vizianagaram instead of bringing the body all the way to KGH, given that the case was very high profile and that there were allegations of foul play as well.
"As the body was in a very delicate condition, they should have arranged for conducting the post-mortem on the spot itself, where the body washed ashore, or at a hospital nearby. The extensive travelling may have disturbed or wiped out some crucial evidence like marks or injuries, given the way the body was transported in an unscientific manner in the boot of an ambassador taxi instead of an ambulance. As the case was sensational, we were forced to conduct the post-mortem. Had it been any other case we would have refused to do the post-mortem as a lot of evidence would have been lost, making our job of pinpointing the cause of death difficult."
Balala Hakkula Sangham president Anuradha Rao too objected to the manner in which the decomposed body of the girl was transported to KGH. "As per rules, the body should be brought in an ambulance for postmortem. But in this case, as TV footage and eyewitness accounts indicate, the officials concerned brought the body in an Ambassador car's boot in a very undignified and unscientific manner. Is this the way to handle such a sensitive case? I demand an answer from the state government."
KGH superintendent M Madhusudhan Babu told TOI that the autopsy took nearly 45 minutes and the body was handed over the family before the noon. Aditi's blood relatives, including father Ch Srinivasa Rao, took the body home to Seethammadhara from the mortuary at around 11.30 pm after which she was cremated at a graveyard at KRM Colony even as her mother and other relatives wept inconsolably in front of the coffin.
Vizag bids adieu to Aditi
Touching scenes were witnessed not only at the mortuary but also at Aditi's home and on RK Beach where a public condolence meet was held to mourn the death of the girl, with whom Vizagites had developed a bond as they followed her case for the past week and awaited news of her return.
A girl from Etasi Timpany School, in which Aditi studied, greeted Aditi's father Srinivasa Rao at the mortuary with a "sorry uncle" to which he responded with a "God Bless you".
Beesetty Kanthamma from Allipuram, who did not personally know Aditi or her family, too rushed to the mortuary to pay her last respects and broke down there. "I have no relation with Aditi or her family. After following her missing case since beginning, I could not bear the news that she is no more and came to the mortuary to offer condolence," said Kanthamma with tears in her eyes.
Scores of Aditi's followers, who had been tracking news on Aditi after she went missing, also made a beeline for her home to offer condolences to the bereaved family and pray for her soul.