Kolkata doctor's rape-murder: Autopsy report reveals horrific details of injuries on victim's body, most on face and neck

On August 10, she was found dead inside the seminar hall, situated on the third floor of the hospital. The brutal death has sparked massive outrage across the country and raised several questions over the safety of women.

The 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor of Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, who was brutally raped and murdered, was subjected to immense physical trauma, revealed the scrutiny of the postmortem report.

On August 10, she was found dead inside the seminar hall, situated on the third floor of the hospital. The death has sparked massive outrage across the country and raised several questions over the safety of women. A civic volunteer named Sanjay Roy has been arrested as a suspect by the Kolkata Police. The case has been transferred to CBI after the orders from the Calcutta High Court.

A report by India Today, citing the postmortem report, revealed that the doctor had multiple crescentic abrasions in both her cheeks. Along with an underlying bruise, there is one abrasion over the mid part of her lip. Abrasions were found over the left side of the bridge and ala of her nose, over the philtrum and the supralabial; over the undersurface of the right side of her jaw; crescentic abrasions were found over the left side of the anterior surface of the neck, which, as per the autopsy report, were described as marks of ‘sucking’.

Adding to this, three crescentic marks on the lateral surface of her left arm, one abrasion on her left knee, as well as a bruise over the posterior of her left shoulder, have also been found. The autopsy report further mentioned that an abrasion was also found behind the left lateral malleolus (which is the outside bone of the fibula or the calf bone). Apart from this, injuries were found on her neck, scalp, thyroid cartilage, and inner side of the epiglottis.

As per the postmortem report, the publication also mentioned that a “white thick viscid liquid” was found inside her endocervical canal (the inner part of the cervix that forms a canal, connecting the vagina to the uterus). The media report citing sources suggests that the nature of the liquid holds the key to the case's resolution, and tests are currently under way to ascertain the same.

According to one of the petitions filed with the division bench of the chief justice of the high court, 150 g of semen was found inside her hymen during the postmortem. However, sources of the publication gave a clarification for the same, stating the weight of the “external and internal genitalia” collected from the body was 151 g, and it was not the weight of the liquid that is in question.

The report further mentioned that a bruise has been found on the right side of her hymen, as well as one full-thickness tear (complete detachment of a tender from the bone of the hymen along with heavy bleeding).

As per the postmortem report, all the injuries were described as antemortem, which means that they were inflicted on her before her death. The report read, “Death was due to effects of manual strangulation associated with smothering...manner of death—homicidal. There is medical evidence of forceful penetration/ insertion in her genitalia—possibility of sexual assault.”

A doctor (who did not wish to be identified), referring to the report, stated that the incident seemed to be a hate crime. The doctor told the publication, “If you notice, all the bruises, abrasions and injuries are on the doctor’s face. She was badly beaten up. But other than her left leg, most bruises are between her eyes and neck. That is something one needs to investigate.”

The fact that whether the rape was committed before or after the murder could not be determined in the postmortem report, the publication added. The report also does not conclude whether penetration was done by a single person or multiple people.

The report further added that about 185 g of partly digested food was recovered from the doctor’s stomach without any peculiar smell. The doctor’s blood samples were also collected; however, the absence of a toxicology report along with the postmortem report could not help to determine whether or not the doctor was drugged.