Policing Forensics
The Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, KMC, Manipal trains MBBS students in medicolegal practices. The Department received the permission for conducting medicolegal autopsies from the Government of Karnataka in 1991 and, then onwards, it provides medicolegal services to the Karnataka State Police. The Department undertakes approximately 350 postmortem examinations every year. Moreover, the Department provides approximately 150 expert opinions per year for prosecution in sexual assault cases, weapon examination, skeletal remains examination and organ histopathology. The request for postmortem examination has usually been received from the Karnataka State Police commonly for the districts of Udupi, Shivamogga, Chickmagaluru, Davanagere, Chitradurga and Hosadurga. The mortuary block equipped with modern technologies has a capacity to undertake three autopsy cases at a time. It also has an open mortuary facility for decomposed bodies. The cold storage facility can hold 15 bodies at a time in the mortuary which also enabled efficient handling of COVID fatalities particularly in the Udupi district. The autopsy room has a gallery to accommodate more than 80 students at a time. The lecture hall associated with the mortuary has audio-visual aid and a seating capacity of 100. The Department experts also extend their services to the Emergency Medicine Department and aid in handling the medicolegal aspects in casualty. It includes documentation of injuries, sending intimations to the law enforcement agencies, issuing wound certificates, and assistance and guidance in collection of samples from the victim’s body. A toxicology laboratory is present as an adjacent block and is undertaken as a joint venture between the departments of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology and Biochemistry. Toxicology lab also analyses samples from the hospital in case of poisoning along with drug abuse testing facility. The Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology had conducted SPEAR-2019 A Hands-on Medico Legal Workshop for Police, Judiciary and Medical Officers on 26th October, 2019. Field experts gave elaborate lectures on diverse topics namely: Dr. Vinod C Nayak , 'Corporal evidence- a tool in crime scene investigation'; Dr. Vikram Palimar, 'Decoding injuries'; Dr. Shankar M Bakkannavar, 'Medico legal issues in asphyxial deaths', Dr. Ashwini Kumar, 'Handling of poisoning cases'; and Dr. Anitha S, 'Handling sexual assault cases'.