Viscera samples of Lance Naik Roy Mathew, whose decomposed body was found hanging in an abandoned barrack in Deolali Cantonment, Nashik, on March 2, have yielded no presence of poison or alcohol
The Army gunner with wife Fini
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Viscera samples of Lance Naik Roy Mathew, whose decomposed body was found hanging in an abandoned barrack in Deolali Cantonment, Nashik, on March 2, have yielded no presence of poison or alcohol.
MK Nair, joint chemical analyser from the office of chemical examiner's laboratory department of Government of Kerala, Thiruvanthapuram, said a part of Mathew's stomach, his intestine, liver, kidney and blood samples were tested after the second autopsy - performed at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, following his family's demand. "We have completed our testing on the viscera samples, and prima facie, we haven't found anything suspicious."
Findings crucial
Nair ruled out the presence of poison or alcohol in Mathew's body at the time of his death. "We will submit a [toxicity/alcohol] negative report soon to the investigating police team in Kerala."
The chemical analysis report is crucial as forensic surgeons at Government Medical College will submit the final cause of death based on this report.
The second autopsy team had given a prima facie reason for death as 'asphyxia due to hanging' and found no other body injury. The surgeons had concluded that it was a case of suicide as the ligature marks around the neck were complete. The findings were in the line with those of the first postmortem examination conducted by the Nashik Civil Hospital.
It has been assumed that Mathew committed suicide in a state of distress after featuring in a sting operation conducted by a news website on the 'humiliating' sahayak system in the Army. The video was aired on TV channels on February 23, and went viral soon after.
However, GP Londe, senior inspector of Deolali Camp police station who is also the investigating officer in the case, said the Nashik police are relying solely on the findings of the chemical analysis tests conducted by the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory, Nashik. "We are yet to receive the chemical analysis report from it. Such reports usually take time."
A senior police officer said the chemical analysis report of Kerala Police will not be sought. "We conducted the first postmortem examination at Civil Hospital, Nashik, and we are concerned with the findings of our (first) postmortem examination and the subsequent chemical analysis tests."
Meanwhile, the Deolali Camp police have collected more evidence to establish that the Army camp was indeed a prohibited area where the entry of civilians is restricted.
"We are also going through footage of CCTV cameras installed in and around the area," said the officer.
The police officer also added that Roy's father, Mathew Y, widow Fini and other relatives have been summoned to Nashik to record their statements. "So far, we have recorded the statements of only two cousins."
Senior police officials hinted that they are consulting the legal cell to find out if additional sections can be added to the FIR during the submission of the chargesheet under the Information Technology Act, as well as under the charge of 'infringement of serving solider'. Apart from Section 306 (abetment to commit suicide), the police have booked the journalist and the news website she represented under sections 451 (house-trespass in order to commit offence punishable with imprisonment) and 500 of the IPC, read with sections 3 and 7 of the Official Secrets Act.
'Statements distorted'
The FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint from Lance Naik Nareshkumar Jatav (31), a native of Rajasthan who resides in the Army camp in Deolali, who claimed that the statements of the jawans who were interviewed for the video had been edited to defame the Army.
The complaint states that he was introduced during a walk in a park to the reporter who conducted the sting operation, Poonam Aggarwal, by retired Army jawan Deepchand on February 2. "Other jawans were also in the park. My acquaintance, Manoj, saw Deepchand and he joined us. Deepchand introduced the woman to us as his relative. Then, the woman and Deepchand started asking us questions about the nature of our work. We told them that we have no trouble working with our officers and that we just perform our job. While I was saying this, Army driver Roy Mathew, whom I knew, arrived. Then, I left."
Jatav said he realised Aggarwal had conducted a sting operation on that day when he saw a video featuring him, Mathew and other jawans doing the rounds of social media on February 24.
"I cannot say when she recorded our video without our knowledge. However, our statements were cut and distorted to defame the Army... We (him and other jawans) were stressed as we thought we would be court-martialled. I realised that the woman was not Deepchand's relative, but a reporter."
Jatav believed that Mathew, fearing a court martial, had been driven over the edge by the video.
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