Why no autopsy report to CAA protesters’ kin: HC

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, January 27

The Allahabad High Court on Monday chided the Uttar Pradesh Government, asking why families of those who had died during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests were not given autopsy reports.

The Division Bench constituted to look into cases of violence across Uttar Pradesh comprising Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Siddhartha Varma sought a detailed report regarding police action during the large-scale violence across the state, including in Lucknow, during the protests.

The court was hearing 14 petitions since the police crackdown on December 19 in which senior advocate SFA Naqvi has been appointed amicus curiae. Representing the state, Additional Advocate General Mainsh Goyal disputed the death of 23 persons during the violence. However, when the court sought to know if no deaths had taken place, he admitted that there were indeed a number of deaths. In the detailed report sought during the next hearing on February 17, the Bench has sought to know how many complaints have been filed against the police/government officials on the complaints of petitioners and victims, action taken on the complaints and if these have been converted into FIRs.

Directing the state government to give the kin of the deceased a copy of the postmortem report, the Bench also said a copy be placed on the record of the court.