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Agony for murdered policeman’s family
By ANIQA HAIDER and GEOFFREY BEW
Published: 8th JULY 2008
A DEFENCE lawyer’s plea to exhume the body of a murdered policeman is just a smokescreen to blur the trial of his alleged killers, it was claimed yesterday.
Sources close to the family of Pakistani policeman Majid Asghar Ali Kareem Baksh, 24, said his body had already been flown to Karachi and buried.
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Agony for murdered policeman’s family
By ANIQA HAIDER and GEOFFREY BEW
Published: 8th JULY 2008
A DEFENCE lawyer’s plea to exhume the body of a murdered policeman is just a smokescreen to blur the trial of his alleged killers, it was claimed yesterday.
Sources close to the family of Pakistani policeman Majid Asghar Ali Kareem Baksh, 24, said his body had already been flown to Karachi and buried.
They added it was unlikely the family would agree to any request for his corpse to be re-examined.
However, they said the family was in close contact with the Interior Ministry in Bahrain and would be seeking the advice of officials here.
“It’s three months since he died and the doctors examined the body before it was handed over to the family,” the sources told the GDN.
“If the doctor’s report was provided to the court and all the signs were positive that he was attacked, why would someone demand to re-examine it again? “It’s just a defence lawyer’s trick to misguide and confuse us.
“I don’t think any law would allow that, whether in Bahrain or any part of the world.
“Once the body is buried, it’s forbidden to take it out again.
“The family is depending on the ministry to take a decision and now it’s their responsibility to decide.”
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Majid’s family was slowly recovering from the shock of his death.
It is understood his father Asghar Ali, a former policeman who served in Bahrain for more than 30 years, is currently visiting the country at the invitation of the Interior Ministry.
He was said to have been surprised by the request to exhume his son’s body during a hearing at the High Criminal Court on Sunday.
Lawyer Ahmed Jaffar Al Arrayedh also called for the vehicle he was travelling in to be scrutinised by forensic specialists.
Mr Al Arrayedh remained adamant yesterday that Majid’s body should be exhumed and flown back to Bahrain in the interests of justice.
He said a court order would be enough to ensure that happened.
“We want the body to be checked again to be sure of the cause of death,” he said yesterday.
“It is important to re-check to know the exact cause of Mr Baksh’s death.
“The coroner’s office said bleeding in the brain caused his blood pressure to drop and that led to his death.
“But we want to make sure by an independent medical inquiry to know what caused the head injury.”
Mr Al Arrayedh admitted such a move could be upsetting for Majid’s family, but claimed it was actually in his relatives’ interests.
“This will be good for his family. They can find out what really happened and so his death is not in vain,” he said.
“His family will be upset, but there are people whose lives are depended on whether the truth comes out or not.”
Nineteen men appeared in court for the second time on Sunday in connection with Majid’s death.
Their lawyers have also requested clear copies of all photographs and video footage connected to the case.
The judge has now adjourned the trial until September 8 to review the requests, which also included family visits for the inmates and bail.
Suspects
He refused to release the suspects on bail, but did appoint a team of medical experts to examine them following allegations that they had been abused in custody.
All the suspects pleaded not guilty during the first hearing last month.
Mr Baksh died on April 9 when his patrol vehicle was attacked with Molotov cocktails.
It is understood he was on plainclothes duty in Karzakhan, off the Budaiya Highway, when the attack took place.
Two other policemen in the car were also injured.
His grandfather and uncle had claimed Majid was also attacked with sharp tools and severely beaten after being pulled out of the vehicle. His family consists of his father, mother Salma, brother Azeem and sisters Sanam and Zainab. aneeqa@gdn.com.bh geoff@gdn.com.bh
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http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=222515&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=31110
