Profile of Medico legal Autopsies Conducted at Tertiary Medico-legal Centre in Northern India

Abstract

The present study is a retrospective study of medico-legal autopsies conducted in the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology MMIMSR Mullana, Ambala, India, from Jan 2016 to December 2020. During this period, 793 cases of medico-legal autopsies were done in the mortuary of MMIMSR, Mullana, Ambala. The majority of victims were male 670 (84.48 %) cases and female 123 (15.52%) cases. A maximum number of post mortem done in the age group 20-40 years was 385(48.56 %) cases and minimum in age group 0-10 year were 18 (02.26%) cases. In our study, 601 (75.78%) were married, 169 (21.31%) unmarried, and unknown 23 (02.99%) cases. Hindus were 660 (83.22%), Muslim 50(06.30%), and Sikh 83 (10.48%) cases. The total number of deaths from rural areas was 406(51.20%) cases, which is slightly higher than urban area 387 (48.80%) cases. Manners of death due to natural causes were 38 (04.97%) cases and unnatural 755 (95.20%) cases. In unnatural, (accidents 551 (69.44%), Suicides 186 (23.44%) and homicides 18 (02.24%) cases). A maximum number of death due to Head injury were 235 (29.64%), shock and hemorrhage 188 (23.70%), poisoning 124 (15.64%), others-skeleton and visceral injuries 81 (10.22%), hanging 44 (05.54%), heart attack 38(04.78%), Drowning 23(02.90%), Electrocution 14 (01.76%), strangulation 13(01.64%), burns 11(1.38%), alcoholic 10(01.26%), septicemia 10(01.26%) and snake bite 2(00.26%)cases. A maximum number of deaths occurring between 0-6 hrs of injury was 395(49.82%) cases, and a minimum number of deaths in 24-48 hrs of injury was 22(02.77%) cases.