IMPHAL, December 27: The eight human skulls and skeletons recovered during excavation work at the erstwhile Tombisana High School campus have been shifted to the RIMS mortuary from the JNIMS mortuary.
Seven skulls and skeletons along with other items were recovered in the afternoon of December 25, while another skull and some skeletons were recovered in the morning of December 26. The other items recovered include hairs, three woman`™s bangles and a one rupee coin dated 1907.
A case was initially taken up at the Heingang Police Station in this regard as the skulls and skeletons were recovered from the site of the under construction Secretariat building at Mantripukhri where the excavated earth were dump. The under construction Secretariat building site falls under the jurisdiction of the Heingang Police.
The skulls and skeletons were deposited at the JNIMS mortuary yesterday afternoon.
However, the case has been transferred to the City Police today as the Tombisana School compound from where the earth was excavated and among which the skulls were recovered falls under its jurisdiction.
It is also learnt that both the cases taken up by the two police stations are `Unnatural Death`™ cases. The Heingang Police Station had taken up UD case no 12 of 2014 while the City Police Station has taken up UD case no 9 of 2014.
According to staff of the JNIMS mortuary, the conduct of post-mortem examination or medico-legal cases examination in either the RIMS mortuary or JNIMS mortuary is determined according to the concerned police stations in the nine districts of the State.
However, at times this practice is overlooked considering the doctors`™ conveniences, they said.
It is also said that sometimes it is also conducted according to the convenience and desire of the concerned police station.
Meanwhile, it is also learnt that the police have already initiated preparations to conduct the forensic examination of the skulls and skeletons recovered and that it will be conducted without any delay once the district magistrate issue the permission for the same.
Sources also said that the examination will be conducted by a team of forensic experts including from Forensic Science medicine experts from both RIMS and JNIMS, officials from Forensic Science laboratory, Pangei, executive magistrate and investigation officer. However, the process is yet to be started till the filing of this report.