Bid to manhandle Dr Unmesh

THRISSUR: While the CJM ordered that the Soumya case be reopened on Saturday as the witnesses have made a volte-face, the court premises saw activists of political parties coming together in a bid to manhandle Dr Unmesh who changed his stance from the previous hearing.Unmesh, the Forensic Department assistant professor, had earlier given a  testimony that he did the postmortem examination and that the files were missing.  While there is allegation that it is the professional cold war which is the reason behind his vitriol against Dr Sherly Vasu, who says she did the  postmortem examination, both doctors have made it clear that there is no professional jealousy in this case.“The court did not ask me the difference in the postmortem examiantion reports of mine and Sherly. Neither the court, defence counsel nor the public prosecutor asked me if there was any difference in the reports. They  did not ask me about the postmortem report by Dr Sherly Vasu. I cannot say  what changes she has made and I do not know why or for what reasons she did  that. But, the number of pages in her report is more than mine. I have been in this profession for the last 10 years. I have always been loyal to the job,” Dr Unmesh said.“In June, I got a summons from the court to present myself as a prosecution witness. But, later, the public prosecutor A Sureshan said there  was no need for me to appear. I was surprised when Dr Sherly Vasu was presented in the court making claims on the postmortem report,” he added.  A Sureshan says: “Dr Unmesh was not required to be examined during the  prosecution witness hearing. He just assisted and made notes on the postmortem. And the postmortem examination was done between 7 a.m. and 9.30 a.m. on  February 7. The postmortem examinations done before 9 a.m. needed  the order or presence of the Head of the Department. Dr Unmesh has not got  any formal order. He has no evidence to prove the order. The postmortem was done by Dr Sherly Vasu.” But, Dr Sherly Vasu had written recently in a vernacular magazine about her experience while doing the postmortem on Soumya’s body. And, she is yet to respond to Dr Unmesh’s statement.  Dr Unmesh is now under police protection.Dr Unmesh has been issued a show cause notice by the Fast Track Court. There are indications that he might go back to his earlier stance that he did the postmortem. Health Minister Adoor Prakash has appointed a high-level committee to probe into the fiasco over his testimony.