Journalist Bibhuranjan's autopsy finds no external, internal injury marks

No external or internal injuries were found on the body of journalist Bibhuranjan Sarker, his autopsy report said.Bibhuranjan had left his Siddheshwari residence in Dhaka on Thursday morning, and his body was recovered from the Meghna River the following day.

The postmortem was conducted at Munshiganj General Hospital today around 11:30am in the presence of police and family members.Dr Sheikh Md Ehsan, residential medical officer (RMO) of the hospital who conducted the autopsy, said, "The body was recovered from water and was in a slightly decomposed state. We did not find any sign of injury""However, samples of teeth, hair, liver, kidney and parts of the stomach have been collected and preserved for forensic analysis in Dhaka. A final opinion can only be given after receiving the laboratory reports," he told reporters.

Bibhuranjan Sarker's younger brother, Chiroranjan Sarker, told The Daily Star, "We will wait for the final postmortem report. After completing all formalities here, we will take the body to Dhaka. It will first be kept for some time at his Siddheshwari residence and then cremated at Borodeshwari Kali Temple in Sabujbagh."

On the question of legal action, he said, "We have not yet made any decision. We will sit with all family members before taking the next step."Inspector Mohammad Saleh Ahmed Pathan of Kolagachia Naval Police Outpost said the body would now be handed over to the family. "After that, further legal measures will be discussed with them," he added.

The 71-year-old journalist was serving as senior assistant editor at the daily Ajker Patrika. He went missing around 10:00am on Thursday after leaving his Siddheshwari residence in Dhaka. His family filed a general diary (GD) with Ramna Police Station later that night.

Yesterday afternoon, around 3:45pm, his body was recovered from the Meghna river at Balakir Char in Gazaria upazila of Munshiganj.