Study of Pattern of Injuries in Homicidal Deaths Autopsied at Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences, Belagavi: A Prospective Study

Abstract

Homicide means the killing of one human being as a result of conduct of another. Homicidal deaths are seenin every part of the world but the toll varies from place to place. As per National Crime Records Bureau andStatistics, in 1953 the number of homicidal deaths were 9082 which has exponentially increased to the extent of29,272 in 2021.Such being the disturbing data and Belagavi being the biggest district of Karnataka state, a detailedstudy was undertaken on the pattern of injuries in homicidal deaths.Materials and Methods: A Prospective study was conducted on all cases of homicidal deaths registered underSec 302 IPC autopsied at Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences from January 1st 2016 to June 30th 2017 formed thestudy material. Information on various factors such as age, sex, weapon used, injury pattern were noted for eachcase in a separate proforma.Results: Among 1265 cases autopsied during the study period, 54 cases were homicidal deaths. Among 54 cases,head injuries were present in 15 cases (27.78%), stab injury involving neck, thorax and abdomen were present in14 cases (25.93%), injuries caused by asphyxia were seen in 14 cases (25.93%), majority of the victims were males(64.81%) and the predominant age group was 20 to 39 years (48.15%).Conclusion: The homicide being the preventable cause of death, its incidence and prevalence can be reduced bystrict implementation of law. The long term, wide-ranging policies are required to eradicate this heinous crime