Udaipur, July 31: The postmortem of a 65-year-old financier, who allegedly died after being assaulted in a setback dispute in Udaipur’s Pratap Nagar area, was conducted by a medical board after a delay of 36 hours. The body was later handed over to the family after they agreed to the postmortem following action by the Urban Improvement Trust (UDA) against the accused’s alleged unauthorised construction.
According to the case details, the incident took place on July 28 when Sagarmal Mehta (65), a resident of Oswal Nagar, Sundarwas, objected to construction being carried out without leaving the required setback behind his house. The matter was already pending before a court, and a court commissioner had inspected the disputed site on the same day.
After the inspection, Sagarmal and his son Rahul were returning home when they were allegedly stopped and assaulted by Praveen Singh Asoliya, his cousin Krishna Singh alias Anurag Rao, and another person. It is alleged that the accused continued to beat Sagarmal even after he fell to the ground. He was taken to MB Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Based on a complaint lodged by Rahul Mehta on July 29, Pratap Nagar Police registered a case against the three accused under Sections 126(2), 115(2), 103(1), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police have taken the three accused into custody and are questioning them. The investigation is being supervised by Deputy Superintendent of Police Chhavi Sharma.
UDA Action Leads to Postmortem
The issue remained tense for two days as the victim’s family alleged that the UDA had not taken adequate action against the unauthorised construction at the accused’s property. On Thursday, UDA officials continued demolition and enforcement action against the allegedly unauthorised construction.
Following this action, the family agreed to the postmortem. A medical board conducted the examination under the supervision of the investigating officer before handing over the body to the family.
Medical Board Examines Injuries
The postmortem was carried out by a medical board comprising Assistant Professor of Forensic Medicine Dr. Sachin Jain and Senior Forensic Expert Dr. Dipendra Sevda.
The examination found injury marks on the victim’s head, face, chest, back and legs. Preliminary observations suggest that internal chest injuries and bleeding caused during the assault may have led to his death. However, the exact cause of death will be confirmed only after the final postmortem report.
After the postmortem, the family took the body to the deceased’s native village, where the last rites were performed on Thursday afternoon.
Earlier, on Wednesday, after discussions involving members of the Jain community, an agreement was reportedly reached regarding compensation as per rules and providing a contractual job in UDA to the deceased’s daughter-in-law, Payal Kumari.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.