PANJIM: Activist Trajano D’Mello, has challenged in the High Court of Bombay at Goa the viscera analysis report of Isha Mantry, a Mumbai-based fashion designer who died last year after attending an Electronic Dance Music Festival (EDM). D’Mello, in 2014, had filed a Public Interest Litigation in the HC seeking its intervention not to grant permissions to EDMs.
D’Mello produced an observation made by Dr V V Pillay, Chief, Poison Control Centre & Clinical Forensic Medicine Unit Cochin Kerala, in the High Court, where the expert has raised certain queries over the viscera analysis conducted by Forensic Science Lab, Madivala, Bangalore.
The observations state that the toxicology report in the case does not mention the complete list of toxicants. It has also said that the lab must furnish details of the exact number and names of toxicants tested and the reasons for selecting them in a particular case.
“As the death occurred in a situation where ‘club’ or ‘party’ drugs are often abused, it is essential to test for all such commonly available drugs of abuse in India,” said Dr Pallay.
He further asked if any comprehensive ‘Drug Abuse Screen’ was done on the viscera/body fluids and if so then the details of such analysis and their results must be revealed. Dr Pallay, in his observation specifically asked if not then why such a crucial line of investigation was not undertaken.
The Court also sought suggestions from D’Mello over the EDMs. When the matter came up for hearing, the court asked D’Mello for suggestions so that directions can be issued while giving permission to such events. The hearing has been fixed for December 14.
EDMs in Goa attract controversy over permissions which are initially opposed by activists and even by state government authorities. So far two deaths have been occurred at EDM venues.
D’Mello filed the PIL to stop the EDMs and not to grant them permission citing various reasons. However, the matter was not disposed and did not come to a conclusion in 2014.
