Ballari violence: Post-mortem conducted only once, says Parameshwara

Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday dismissed Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s claims that two postmortems were performed on the body of Congress worker Rajashekar Reddy, who died in the violence in Ballari on New Year’s Day.

“The doctors who performed the postmortem have clarified that the procedure was performed only once. Politicians, including myself, should think before issuing statements. One should be aware of the impact words can have, and speak responsibly,” said Parameshwara.

In a veiled reference at Kumaraswamy, the Home Minister asked, “Have those making these claims about two postmortems witnessed it themselves? I will go by what the doctors have said.”

Meanwhile, after doctors at Ballari Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) confirmed that the postmortem was performed only once, Kumaraswamy demanded that the BIMS Medical Superintendent be subjected to a brain-mapping test. Doubling down on his claims of two postmortems having been performed, Kumaraswamy charged the Congress with using the death of a party worker for political gains.

“I am aware of the lengths the Congress is going to in order to close this case. The BIMS Medical Superintendent has claimed that the postmortem was conducted for three hours. What I want to know is why was a second doctor called in for the procedure? What was the purpose behind asking for another doctor,” asked Kumaraswamy.