KARACHI: A police surgeon who conducted the first autopsy on the body of Mir Raza appeared before the judicial commission investigating the case and faced tough questioning over his medical report and professional experience.
Police Surgeon Dr Usama told the commission that he completed his MBBS in 2016, joined government service through the Sindh Public Service Commission in 2019 and joined the Police Surgeon’s Office in 2021. He was subsequently posted as a medico-legal officer at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.
The commission questioned him about his medico-legal training and experience in conducting autopsies. Dr Usama said he had conducted more than 100 post-mortems, although he could not provide an exact number.
The commission also questioned whether he had personally conducted Mir Raza’s autopsy or whether a sweeper had performed some of the work. Dr Usama said he had conducted the post-mortem, while explaining that a sweeper is present during every autopsy.
Questions Over Burns and Injuries
The commission questioned Dr Usama about his report, particularly the absence of details regarding burn marks and other injuries.
When asked whether there were burn marks on Mir Raza’s body, the police surgeon said there were no burn marks, but that there had been a change in the colour of the body.
The commission questioned whether this description was adequate and asked where the report specifically mentioned the alleged burning.
The judge also pointed out that the report contained no mention of a broken bone. Dr Usama responded that no obvious fracture had been detected during the examination.
The commission further asked about the condition of Mir Raza’s face and whether it appeared decomposed. Dr Usama said that decomposition of the face can occur within approximately 24 to 36 hours.
Mother Describes Events at Guest House
Earlier, Mir Raza’s parents also appeared before the commission and provided details about their efforts to locate him.
Mir Raza’s mother said that several of his friends came to their home at night and searched his room. When she asked what they were looking for, they reportedly said there might be a bus ticket there.
She said she later discovered that Mir Raza’s partnership agreement was missing from the room.
The family had previously told police that the Ferozabad police station initially refused to immediately register an FIR, suggesting that the young man might have left home after becoming upset.
His father told the commission that after contacting the emergency helpline, no police mobile arrived. The family subsequently reviewed CCTV footage themselves.
According to his account, footage showed a car passing in front of their home and Mir Raza walking in footage obtained from a neighbour’s camera. The family also sought CCTV footage from a departmental store but was initially refused access. They later viewed footage with the assistance of an acquaintance who was an ASI.
The footage allegedly showed Mir Raza getting into a vehicle, which was then seen travelling at speed on the wrong side of the road toward Khalid Bin Waleed Road before heading toward Jheel Park.
Family Traces Mir Raza to Guest House
Mir Raza’s mother told the commission that on the morning of July 29, her son had contacted a rental car service. The driver, identified as Ehsanullah, reportedly said that he had dropped Mir Raza in Gulistan-e-Johar Block 2, where Mir Raza also operated a cloud kitchen.
The family went to the reported drop-off location and, after speaking with a security guard at the cloud kitchen, were advised to check a nearby guest house.
According to the mother, the guest house door was closed, so the family showed Mir Raza’s photograph to people inside from outside.
She said that as soon as the photograph was shown, the people inside allegedly ran away.
The commission suggested that they might simply have become frightened. However, Mir Raza’s mother said that there was considerable commotion inside the guest house immediately after his photograph was shown.
She said that shortly afterwards, eight people on four motorcycles arrived and told them that three individuals had escaped by jumping over the rear wall.
Mir Raza’s father further stated that a security guard at a nearby school allegedly told the family that they were respectable people and that the guest house was operating under the patronage of Johar police, advising them to leave the area.
The family reportedly apprehended the individuals who had fled the guest house a short distance away and brought them back toward the guest house, where they were told that families were staying inside.
The commission is continuing to examine the statements of the family members, the police surgeon and other witnesses as it investigates the circumstances surrounding Mir Raza’s death and the handling of the case.
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