Chandigarh: The size and pattern of the wound, the direction and trajectory of the bullet and the presence of the gunshot residue (gunpowder) on the injury — an analysis of these have led a panel of doctors, who carried out the post-mortem of Kartik Popli, son of arrested IAS officer Sanjay Popli, to conclude that the bullet wound was “self-inflicted”.
It was reported that the 27-year-old shot himself at his residence on 25 June, while a search by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau was on at his residence. On 20 June, Kartik’s father, Sanjay Popli, a 2008 batch IAS officer, was arrested on charges of corruption during his time as the CEO of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board.
Kartik’s death led to a controversy, with the police calling it a suicide and the family alleging that the bureau officials ‘tortured’ Kartik and murdered him.
According to the sources in the forensic department, the autopsy report mentions two bullet wounds — an entry wound from the left temple and an exit wound from the right temple — on Kartik’s body. There was no mention of other external injuries, showing signs of scuffle or torture, in the report.
Kartik’s post-mortem was conducted by a panel of four doctors at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh.
The report also details the path the bullet took and the damage it caused in the brain, along with detailed observations on why the bullet injury was self-inflicted, a source in the forensic department told ThePrint.
“There is no indicator to show it might have been a murder. Several parameters were taken into account to reach the conclusion. Looking at the injuries on the body during post-mortem, the crime scene, circumstances, there was no ambiguity. It is not a case of murder,” the source said to ThePrint.
Dr Yogender Singh Bansal, head of of forensic medicine department, PGIMER, Chandigarh, also confirmed to ThePrint that it was a “self-inflicted injury”
“There is no ambiguity in this case. We have concluded that it appears to be a self-inflicted injury,” he said.
Following the alleged suicide, a Magisterial inquiry has been initiated in the matter. Advocate Matwinder Singh, defence counsel for Sanjay Popli, wrote an email to the deputy superintendent of police (DGP) and senior superintendent of police (SSP), Chandigarh Police, on behalf of Kartik’s step mother Sri, requesting that Sanjay’s statement regarding the shooting of his son be recorded at the earliest.
Kartik had done his schooling from Chandigarh’s Yadavindra Public School and had done his graduation from D.A.V. College, Chandigarh. He went on to complete a three-year law programme at the O.P. Jindal Global University, from where he graduated in 2019.
Also read: Suicide or Murder? Varying narratives cloud the truth behind arrested IAS officer’s son’s death
‘Every firearm injury has a pattern’
Explaining how the conclusion was reached, the source in the forensic department said, “The deceased was left-handed and the bullet injury is on the left temple. Even at the temple, the spot is where his hand would reach comfortably while sitting in a chair, considering his height, position and length of his arm resting on the armrest,” the source said.
The source added that every firearm injury has a pattern. If it is a close range shot then the entry wound is bigger than the exit wound and it also has a bursting effect, creating a “star pattern”. This shows that the shot was fired from a close range, which means that the weapon was held close to the temple.
When a bullet is fired from a distance, it doesn’t create that pattern as the bullet loses its intensity while traveling, the source added.
“This is a pattern seen in cases where the injury is self-inflicted,” the source said.
The trajectory of the bullet after it leaves the firearm also plays a major role in ascertaining where the bullet was fired from, the source added.
“The direction in which the bullet falls, the trajectory it takes after exiting the body, is a very important factor. This helps ascertain the direction of the shooter. In this case, the exit wound is parallel to the entry wound, proportionate to the arm of the person sitting on the chair,” the source said. “Someone may say that a person may have shot him but considering the dimensions, it doesn’t seem possible. If the person was standing next to the deceased while he sat on a chair and had shot him, the wound on the temple would be a little higher. Not proportionate to the length of the arm of the deceased,” the source said.
Another factor, the source explained, was the “residue of firearms on the injury”.
“When the weapon is so close to the temple, while someone is holding it close, the bullet leaves a residue of gunpowder on the injury. There is also blackening from the burning as the bullet, when released from the pistol, generates heat,” the source said.
The cause of death has been mentioned as “extensive cerebral damage and haemorrhage”, the source said.
‘Wound not from police pistol, door was shut from inside’
Kartik’s mother Sri had alleged before the media that her son Kartik was forcefully taken to the first floor and the vigilance bureau officials shot him deliberately. Speaking to the media, she said she saw the men “aiming a gun” at her son and that Kartik was “tortured for evidence” by the officials.
Sanjay Popli, who was under custody at that time and had been taken to his residence for a search also told reporters that he was an eyewitness to his son’s death.
The claims, however, have been denied by the police.
Speaking to ThePrint, Kuldeep Singh Chahal, SSP Chandigarh, said, “The dead body was taken out after breaking open the door. There is no way that someone was inside. Moreover, the medical board has opined that it was a self-inflicted injury and the report has been submitted to the Magistrate. There is no ambiguity here, facts are clear.”
He added that while the bullet shell recovered from the room where Kartik was found dead was that of a licensed 7.65 mm, which belonged to Kartik’s father, the “ballistic report” which will help ascertain the type of weapon used in the crime, is still awaited.
Ballistic evidence is not just used to identify the type of weapon that was used in the commission of a crime but also to ascertain details including where the shooter was standing and how far the target was, among other things.
A second source in the Chandigarh Police said that since the empty bullet shell was from a 7.65 mm pistol, it shows that the fire was not opened from a police weapon — which usually is a 9 mm pistol.
“The police department does not have a 7.65 mm pistol, so how could they have fired it? The bullet is clearly from the licensed weapon, which was also recovered from beside the body,” the source said.
The source also said that none of the vigilance officials were in the room when the fire was opened.
“Sanjay Popli was taken for a search and everyone was standing in the driveway. Kartik Popli who was questioned in this regard, earlier that day, left for the room upstairs and then everyone heard a gunshot. The policemen were not even near there,” the source said.
Sanjay Popli, 58, was arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on 21 June, for allegedly demanding a cut of 1 per cent from a contractor, working on a project worth Rs 7.3 Crore, to lay sewerage pipelines at Nawanshahr in May.
Following his arrest, the Vigilance Bureau conducted raids at his residence on 25 June and claimed to have seized over 12 kg of gold which included nine gold bricks, each weighing 1 kg, 49 gold biscuits, 12 gold coins, three silver bricks, 18 silver coins, Apple and Samsung phones, smart watches and Rs 3.5 lakh in cash.
Also read: How IAS Sanjay Popli’s juniors ‘collected bribe’ for him, sent jeweller money to turn it to gold
‘Kartik had so much emotional baggage’
A family friend, who did not wish to be named, told ThePrint that although Kartik was tense about his father’s arrest, the ongoing investigation in the case and how he was being called by the department for questioning, no one thought he would take such a drastic step to end his life.
“He was called for questioning by the Vigilance Bureau the very next day after his father’s arrest. He told me that they misbehaved with him — not to say that they hit him, but they were very harsh with him,” he said.
“Kartik had told me that they made him wait five to six hours in a room alone without asking anything and no one coming to tell him anything. The police asked him questions that he had no answers to but they insisted on answers. All this took a toll on his mind, but we still did not imagine he would kill himself,” he said.
Another family friend said that Kartik had a lot of “emotional baggage” and maybe his father’s arrest acted as a “trigger” for him to take his life.
“He often said that pain was his companion. He had once said that he would go exactly like this,” a family friend said on condition of anonymity. “He was not new to pistols,” the friend said.
The friend also added that Kartik often missed his mother, with whom Popli had had an ugly separation when Kartik was just 5 years old. He always felt that void. Some were sensitive and understood, but mostly everyone ignored it. He was not depressed but had so much emotional baggage,” the family friend said.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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