Dr. Muntazar Leghari was nominated on Tuesday as the 23rd accused in the murder case of Dr. Shahnawaz Kumbhar on the recommendation of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials.
Dr. Leghari was arrested three days ago by an FIA team for allegedly preparing a false autopsy report of Dr. Kumbhar, who was killed in a fake police encounter by Mirpurkhas police officials near Sindhri town on September 17 last year. The process of nominating Dr. Leghari in the murder case was conducted under Section 167 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrCP) by the police.
The arrested Dr. Muntazar Mehadi Leghari stated in his written report to the police that he found no signs of violence on Dr. Shahnawaz’s body during the postmortem, noting only bullet wounds.
Mohammad Ibrahim Kumbhar, the complainant of the FIR, stated that they had requested the FIA and the National Human Rights Commission to investigate Dr. Leghari for allegedly submitting a false postmortem report to protect the perpetrators. He claimed that the doctor conspired to obstruct justice against the aggrieved family from Umerkot district.
Dr. Shahnawaz Kumbhar’s initial postmortem report did not mention signs of torture, specifically broken lungs. It stated that two bullets caused one lung to break and the heart and lungs to rupture. However, a subsequent medical report after exhumation revealed evidence of torture and four broken ribs.
It is worth mentioning that 22 accused, including DIG Mirpurkhas, SSP Mirpurkhas, and others, were already nominated in the FIR. Six police officers are under arrest, while six, including former DIG Javed Soonharo Jiskani and suspended SSP Mirpurkhas Chaudhry Asad Ali, have been declared absconders. Twelve accused are on protective bail.