Man booked for killing rat: Rodent's post-mortem report reveals...

"In the postmortem reports, no water was found in the lungs of the rat. In fact, we discovered that the liver and lungs of the creature were already damaged, implying that he was ill," Dr Sibngh said, adding that the report also pointed to a possibility of death due to necrosis in the lungs.

Bareilly (UP):In an unexpected twist in the death of a rat in Badaun, the post-mortem reports have revealed that the reason for the death of the rat is not drowning as alleged by the complainant. Dr KP Singh, the Joint Director of the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, said that the rat died of suffocation, while no drain water was found in his system. The reports thus imply that the creature was already ill and did not die because of the torcher inflicted by the accused in the case.

"In the post-mortem report, no water was found in the lungs of the rat. In fact, we discovered that the liver and lungs of the creature were already damaged, implying that he was ill," Dr Sibngh said, adding that the report also pointed out the possibility of death due to necrosis in the lungs, which is basically the tearing of the tissues due to high pressure.

"Furthermore, during the histopathology and microscopy examination, we did not find any trace of water or dirt in any of the body tubes of the rat. The inclined part of the lung was torn. This is probably because while dying, the animal took deep and heavy breaths due to which the rapture burst. Another lethal infection was found in the liver of the rat," he added.

The case was brought to the police's notice by an animal welfare activist and Honorary Animal Welfare Officer of the Indian Animal Welfare Board Vikendra Sharma, who accused his neighbour of torturing and killing a rat by tieing a stone to his tail and drowning it in a drain. The Badaun police had consequently registered an FIR under section 429 (killing or maiming an animal) against the accused Manoj Kumar.

"On November 25, the rat's body was brought to IVRI. Dr Ashok Kumar and Dr Pawan Kumar conducted the post-mortem of the body. It can be concluded from reports of the post-mortem that the rat died of asphyxiation and not because of drowning," Dr Singh said. The report results shall now be taken into account for further investigation.