Thursday 28 March 2024

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Society | People

Forensic expert raises questions while police close Fr Bismarque case as accident

 

While Goa police has called the death of priest-turned-activist Fr Bismarque Dias as an accident, a group of social activists have demanded a fresh probe by registering it as murder, based on a parallel forensic report.

The dead body of Fr Bismarque is still lying in the morgue of Goa Medical College for the last four months, after it was found in the creek meeting river Mandovi in his St Estevam village on 6 November.

Following public protests state-wide, the probe was handed over to the crime branch of Goa police, to investigate the probable murder angle.

After getting all the possible reports of post-mortem, viscera, diatom and even DNA negative to the murder angle, the crime branch has now sent the file to the district magistrate to take a final call.

Meanwhile, four social activists today released a parallel report of a forensic expert, who examined the post-mortem reports of Fr Bismarque.

Samir Kelekar, Judith Almeida, Zico Rodrigues and Benjamin Pinto, on behalf of the Concerned Citizens for Justice to Fr Bismarque, presented the report.

However, they did not disclose the name of the forensic expert, who, according to them is one of the top forensic experts who retired as the HoD of one of the top hospitals in India.

“He is willing to depose before the court by disclosing his identity”, said Kelekar.                                      

Following are the findings of his parallel report:

1)      1) The second medico-legal autopsy was methodically, thoroughly and competently performed and had amended all deficiencies in the first autopsy, including preservation and despatch of material for the diatoms test.

2)      2) The positive diatoms test, although gives conclusive evidence that Fr. Bismarque was alive at the time of immersion at the place where he was alleged to have gone swimming, does not offer any clue as to the circumstances of his death.

3)      3) Given the history of his consumption of alcohol before he went swimming, why the autopsy surgeon did not specifically request analysis for the presence and level of ethyl alcohol in the viscera and why he did not preserve blood and urine, needs to be ascertained.

4)      4) In addition, what alcohol he had consumed, how much, and how long before                he allegedly went swimming, could perhaps be determined by re-interrogation of the owner of the establishment where he went, and from the persons with whom he was last seen.

5)      A person can be rendered unconscious even if there are no external or obvious internal injuries, when a soft hard blunt object (e.g., a cosh) is used to inflict the blow or in the recognised pathological condition called "concussion" ("stunning" in lay terms) defined as a transient state of unconsciousness.

BACKGROUND

Goa had witnessed state-wide protests, from candle light vigils to demonstrations during IFFI, suspecting that the priest-turned-activist was murdered and did not drown in the river near his St Estevam village.

Fr Bismarque had gone for a swim post-midnight on 6 November, after having pint beers along with two boys at Babhol Manos since the evening of 5 November.

His dead body was found floating in the river next day morning.

Fr Bismarque was involved in several social issues, from CRZ violations to the golf course coming up in Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar’s Mandrem constituency.

Soon after his body was recovered, the social activists had demanded a second autopsy, alleging that the first autopsy had not identified several injuries on his body.

However, the second autopsy stated that all the injuries are post-death, caused due to aquatic creatures.

The most-awaited viscera report then arrived on 11 December, which did not show any material in the body that would lead to the possibility of murder.

Following this, the diatom report from CFSL was received on 26 December, which once again established drowning while ruling out murder.

The police had sent three exhibits – the sternum, lungs and the water sample where his dead body was found floating.

The diatoms of all the three exhibits were found to be identical, thus establishing a fact that he drowned in the river and was not murdered somewhere else and dumped in the river.

Alleging that the Old Goa police were trying to hush up the alleged murder, social activists and organisations had demanded that the probe be handed over to the Crime Branch of Goa police.

The crime branch, based on all these reports – from two autopsies, viscera report, diatom report and now the DNA report – have not been able to establish that Fr Bismarque was murdered.


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Total Comments :3

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Don't give up... we are coming closer to solve this mysterious murder case.

Come on '5' boys, tell the truth else the devil will haunt you throughout your life.

 
John W D'Souza , Margoa goa

I don't think dat Goa govt want take dis issues lets God dicide ft Bismarck get justices

 
Prayan DHAMASKER , Margao

Who told you that he went for swim....kindly delete that statement. that is a false story told by the two boys who are under a cloud of suspicion...!!

 
Kennedy afonso. , margao