A preliminary autopsy report on the body of 20-year-old woman Anjali Singh, who died on the New Year eve in Delhi’s Sultanpuri after being dragged by a car for 12 km, “has ruled out any sexual assault on her as there were no injury on her or on her private parts”.
The provisional cause of death is believed to be from injury caused by the accident and her subsequent dragging by the car on the road.
The post-mortem was conducted on Monday by doctors from the city’s Maulana Azad Medical College. The mortal remains of Anjali were cremated amid heavy security on Tuesday evening at Aman Vihar crematorium. Scores of people carrying banners that read “Anjali ko insaaf do (give justice to Anjali)” joined the funeral procession.
They were accompanied by protesters demanding the accused be hanged.
Meanwhile, fresh CCTV footage shows a woman on a scooter passing through a narrow street and then seconds later a car going the other way, leaving a lone shoe behind.
Meanwhile, Anjali’s friend Nidhi who was with her at the time of the accident claimed that the accused inside the car knew that the woman was stuck under their vehicle but they kept dragging her and didn’t stop even once to save her. She also claimed that Anjali was drunk and insisted on driving the scooty.
Special Commissioner of Police (Law and order Zone II), Sagarpreet Hooda said the report stated that the provisional cause of death was “shock and haemorrhage as a result of antemortem injury to the head, spine, left femur, both lower limbs”.
“All injuries produced by blunt force impact and possible vehicular accident and dragging. Also, the report indicates that there is no injury suggestive of sexual assault. The final report will be received in due course,” Hooda said.
According to a doctor from the medical board at MAMC who conducted the autopsy, there is an “accidental injury pattern” with “dragging injuries over her back and head and buttocks”.
“All injuries collectively can cause death in the ordinary course of nature. However, injury to the head, spine, long bone and other injuries can cause death independently and collectively in the ordinary course of nature,” the doctors opined.
The doctors said they would be able to offer a final opinion after the receipt of chemical analysis and biological sample reports.
After the autopsy, Anjali’s body was handed over to her family members.
According to police, the eyewitness’ account will be important evidence in getting the accused punished and more CCTV footage has been recovered that could help establish the sequence of events on Sunday night. Another CCTV footage that surfaced online on Tuesday showed Singh fighting with another woman , identified now as her friend Nidihi, outside a hotel just hours before the accident.
The CCTV footage was retrieved by police from the hotel where the woman had gone with a few of her friends, sources said.
PTI quoted Nidhi as saying they had a fight over riding the two-wheeler. “I let her drive as she kept insisting. We nearly missed hitting a truck first but were struck by another vehicle a few metres away,” recalled Nidhi.
Narrating the horrific incident, the eyewitness said after the impact, her friend Anjali got stuck under the car and was dragged by the vehicle, with its occupants not once trying to slow down or save the woman.
Anjali’s friend said she did not inform anyone about the accident as she was scared and feared that she would be blamed for it.
Narrating the sequence of events that night, the eyewitness told PTI that she had a fight with Anjali over riding the two-wheeler outside the hotel where they met their friends and attended a New Year.
Anjali, who was drunk, also threatened to jump from the moving two-wheeler if she was not allowed to drive her scooter, her friend claimed.
“We left the hotel at around 1.45 am. She (Anjali) wanted to ride the scooty but I said no I will ride it. After we left and were on the move, Anjali said she would jump from the two-wheeler if she was not allowed to drive. It is my scooty and I will drive it, she told me,” the friend claimed.
“I gave her the scooty. After traversing some distance, we nearly hit a truck. Although I was sitting behind, I somehow managed to apply the brakes. We left that spot after that and moved ahead. But another car hit our scooter. Anjali got stuck under the vehicle while I fell on the other side of the road,” she claimed.
I received minor injuries on the eyes but Anjali got stuck under the car, she said.
“The car did not stop. The vehicle went ahead and then reversed and then went forward again at high speed. No music was playing in the car,” she claimed.
Asked why she did not inform Anjali’s mother or police, she said she was scared and feared that she would be blamed for it.
“I got scared. All blame would have come on me, so I kept quiet but the car occupants even didn’t stop or tried to save her. I cannot forget what happened that night..,” she added.