Malda, Nov. 30: The Malda district police are unable to file chargesheets in murder cases within the stipulated 90 days because of inordinate delay in obtaining post-mortem reports from the health department.

The health authorities said the reports could not be submitted on time because of shortage of doctors at the Malda district hospital and absence of a forensic laboratory to conduct viscera tests.

“The police are finding it difficult to submit charge-sheet in court within 90 days of starting a case. I don’t understand why the health department waits for viscera reports even in simple cases of persons being beaten or stabbed to death,” said district superintendent of police Bhuban Mondal.

“Obtaining viscera report is a very time consuming process. It often takes two to three years,” he said.

Senior police officers have pointed out two cases, where the health department has delayed the submission of post-mortem reports.

Rajen Mondal, 35, was beaten to death at Talgram in Harishchandrapur on August 2. The body was sent to the Malda district hospital for post-mortem and a case was registered. But the police have not yet received the autopsy report.

Sources said the hospital had sent the viscera to Calcutta for test.

In another case, the police have been awaiting a post-mortem report on the murder of a housewife at Rajnagar in Kaliachak on September 3, 2009. She was allegedly killed by her husband.

“As many as 120 cases are pending in courts in the district because of non-availability of post-mortem reports. Even if we get the reports, doctors do not even mention whether one’s death was suicidal, homicidal or accidental by nature,” said a police officer.

Mondal regretted that everyone was blaming the police for their failure to submit chargesheets in 90 days. He said the matter had been taken up with the district chief medical officer of health, Srikanta Roy.

Roy attributed the delays in the submission of the post-mortem reports to shortage of doctors at the district hospital. “I have asked the superintendent of the district hospital Himadri Kunri to look into the problem,” he said.

Kunri has said the district hospital has only two doctors to carry out post-mortems.

“While one is a specialist, the other is a general physician. They conduct autopsies outside the district hospital also. We depend on forensic laboratories in Calcutta for viscera tests. We have been demanding the setting up of a forensic laboratory in the district hospital for a long time. Once such a facility is put in place, most of our problems will be solved,” said the hospital superintendent.