PREVALENCE OF EXHUMATION IN DISTRICT FAISALABAD; A LOCAL EXPERIENCE.

Nadeem, Shirza; Parveen, Humera; Awan, Almas Fatima

Exhumation is a procedure conducted by authorities in which a body or its remains are retrieved from the ground or wherever they were buried either lawfully or in an illegal manner. Exhumation is considered a legal procedure which is carried out when foul play is suspected after death and it is necessary to find out the cause of death. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of exhumation in District Faisalabad along with identifying the factors hampering the results to establish cause of death. Study Design: Descriptive, observational, retrospective study. Setting: Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Faisalabad Medical University, Faisalabad. Period: Six years from January 2011 to December 2016. Methods: The data of exhumations conducted in the Faisalabad district, was collected on a study proforma with the permission of relevant authorities. Results: Total 87 cases of exhumation were studied with a frequency of 14.5 exhumations per year. Male to female ratio of 2:0.9 was found with 69% males and 31% females. 78.16% cases belong to rural areas and 18.39% cases are from urban areas. Commonest age group was 20-29 year with (27.5%) cases. Cause of death was determined only in 18.39 % cases. In majority of cases (44.82%) time lapse between death & exhumation was 1-3 months. Allegations made for conduction of exhumation was poisoning in majority of cases (35.63%). Conclusion: Time lapse between burial & exhumation, advance stage of putrefaction, improper allegations &lack of proper documentation leads to failure in achieving the objective of exhumation.

EXHUMATION; CAUSE of death statistics

Professional Medical Journal, 2018, Vol 25, Issue 8, p1277

1024-8919

Academic Journal

10.29309/tpmj/2018.25.08.42