PALAKKAD: The court cross-examined the doctor, who performed the autopsy on the dead body of Madhu, an Adivasi youth who was killed allegedly for stealing food. Dr. NA Balaram said that the wounds and bruises found on the dead body of Madhu were not caused by custodial torture by police.

The doctor was speaking during the cross-examination of the witness by the defendant’s lawyer. The doctor made it clear that the nature of the wounds and bruises did not match those that are seen in police custodial tortures.

During the trial, the pieces of wood used to beat Madhu were presented in court. When the doctor was asked if the wounds and bruises matched with those inflicted by wood pieces, he answered that it could be.

Though the doctor dismissed custodial death due to torture by police, he did not reject when asked if such wounds and bruises can be caused by police ‘lathi’.

The defendant’s lawyer also asked if there was any block in marking the wounds and bruises on Madhu’s body during postmortem after two days after his death. The doctor answered in the negative to the counsel’s question.

The trial that stretched for hours ended by 5 pm.

Meanwhile, the cross-examination of Madhu’s mother, Mali, was completed on Tuesday at the SC/ST court in Mannarkkad. When asked if there were any cases of theft against Madhu, she responded emotionally. She cried while saying that her son was not a thief. The court then asked Mali’s daughter, Sarasu, to comfort her mother.

During the trial, Mali said that her daughter’s police job was not given by the government after Madhu’s death but earned through her own efforts.