PANJIM: A week after the High Court of Bombay at Goa questioned the authorities if social activist Bismarque Dias’ body was required to be further preserved, his bereaved family has decided to lay the body to rest.
“We have longed to receive Bismarque’s earthly remains and have a proper farewell. We have waited patiently so that a proper investigation may be carried out and justice may be served. We shall now proceed with the burial. We shall proceed as soon as we receive the radiology and other medical test reports (not yet provided to us but we are informed that it has been done). We may lay his earthly remains to rest but our fight for justice continues,” the deceased’s brother Mario Dias said in a statement on Monday.
The High Court, last Wednesday had asked for a radiology test on the body of the social activist following which Goa Medical College and Hospital conducted the scan and a report was submitted to the court.
“Our fight for justice continues in the High Court. Having decided to bury the body, our focus moves back to the collection and submission of evidence to the Court in preparation for a trial. Our next step is to request the Court to direct the authorities to handover key documents that have still not been provided to us namely daitom report, viscera analysis report, radiation report, autopsy 1185/2015 and autopsy 1122/2015. We have run from pillar to post and made several applications to the various authorities to receive these documents but they have all fallen on deaf ears,” he further said.
On receipt of the reports, Mario said that the family will present the findings of India’s foremost forensic expert (and member of the court-ordered panel) answering questions scientifically and based on fact and evidence available in the reports. “Some of these could be the fundamental and glaring questions still unanswered even though the authorities have been in a tearing hurry to close the case. Why was there only 5ml of water in the lungs when the authorities jumped to conclude that it was death by drowning? Why was half the body affected by rigor mortis and the other half decomposed? What explains the telltale signs of physical assault on various body parts including private parts? Why have two autopsies failed to conclude the cause of death?” he said reeling off a list of unanswered questions.
The family has expressed its disappointment at the ‘government’s apathy’ towards the probe but it has still pinned its hope that a thorough trial will give them justice.
