The body of the 16 year-old girl who died of burn injuries while working as a house maid at MP Rishad Bathiudeen’s residence has been exhumed.
The remains of 16-year-old Jude Kumar Ishalini was exhumed this morning in the presence of a special medical team to perform a second post mortem examination on the orders of the court.
The special medical team on the orders of Nuwara-Eliya Magistrate Kumari Dharmakeerthi directed the exhumation of the body with the with the assistance of Grama Niladhari in charge of the area and Public Health Inspectors adhering to quarantine regulations.
The body will be taken to the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital for the second post-mortem.
The second autopsy will be carried out by the three-member specialist medical team appointed by the Director-General of Health Services on the recommendations of the Attorney General.
Jean Perera – Professor of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Dr. Sameera Gunawardena, Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine and Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo and Dr. Prabath Senasinghe, a forensic pathologist at the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital are included in the expert team.
The three-member forensic medical board is to obtain reports from the second post-mortem examination on how the girl died, whether she was raped, if so, what period of time, as well as whether the girl was brutally tortured or otherwise abused.
Ishalini was hospitalized with burn injuries on July 3 while working as a housemaid at the former minister’s residence in Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo. She died on the 15th while receiving treatment at the Intensive care unit of the Colombo National Hospital.
However, the post mortem examination has revealed that the minor girl had been sexually abused for some time.
The victim was a resident of Diyagama West in Agarapathana and has been brought by a broker to the Bathiudeen residence in October 2020, when she was 15 years old.
Courtesy: Colombo Page
