A Pakistani Hindu dental college student, who was found dead in mysterious circumstances in her hostel room in Sindh province, was raped before being murdered, the final postmortem report has revealed.
Nimrita Chandni, 25, a final-year student of Bibi Asifa Dental College in Sindh province, was found dead on a cot by her friends on September 16 with a rope tied to her neck.
Following massive pressure, the Sindh government had ordered a judicial inquiry into the mysterious death of the minority community student.
Her final postmortem report, which was issued by Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) Woman Medico-Legal Officer (WMLO) Dr Amrita on Wednesday, revealed that Nimrita was sexually abused before being murdered, the News International reported on Thursday.
According to the autopsy report, her death was caused by suffocation.
Asphyxial signs caused by a ligature on the neck were seen during the autopsy.
"Such signs are produced either in strangulation or hanging and are to be ascertained through circumstantial evidence as corroborative at the crime scene by state investigation authorities," the WMLO said.
Police Surgeon Dr Qarar Ahmed Abbasi told Dawn newspaper that according to the final post-mortem report, Nimrita was "murdered by strangulation after rape".
"The post-mortem opinion is clear but depends on [a] proper police investigation," he said.
Abbasi, quoting an observation in the report, said that it has to be ascertained through circumstantial evidence whether Nimrita was strangulated or hanged.
A DNA test confirmed the presence of male DNA profile indicated from semen residue on the deceased's clothes, whereas a vaginal swab tested positive for a forced sexual act, the report said.
A previous autopsy report, which stated it to be a case of suicide, was questioned by several medico-legal experts.
Experts and officials of the medico-legal section of the health department in Karachi believed that the earlier autopsy report carried many flaws and missed key facts.
They said the ligature mark in picture was not due to a dupatta. The post-mortem findings show suicide but ligature mark shows strangulation, the experts had said.
They also said it was also questionable as to how a five-feet-tall girl managed to hang herself from the ceiling fan, which was 15 feet high.
Earlier, Larkana Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University's (SMBBMU) Vice-Chancellor (VC) Aneela Atta Ur Rahman had claimed that the 25-year-old student committed suicide.
However, her brother Dr Vishal, a medical consultant in Dow Medical College in Karachi, had said that the marks around her neck suggested that Nimrita did not commit suicide.
Following a massive protest over the girl's death and demand for a "transparent investigation" into the incident by her family, the Sindh High Court on September 18 ordered a judicial inquiry into the matter.
The probe is being supervised by the Larkana District and Sessions Judge.
On September 17, Larkana police detained two students from the dental college attended by Nimrita. According to police sources, the two students are her batchmates.
Hindus, which comprised nearly 2 per cent of Pakistan's population, are mainly concentrated in Sindh province. There have been periodic reports of their forced conversion to Islam.
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