Emedinews:Insights on medicolegal issues:Forensic opinion in case of fatal hanging

• Hanging was formerly thought to be a pure asphyxia as a result of ‘cutting off the air’ by occlusion of the airway during the fatal pressure on the neck.
• It has been recognized by many forensic authors that the rapidity of death in many cases made it impossible for hypoxia to be the sole or even major cause. Many victims died almost immediately and exhibited none of the so-called ‘classic’ signs of asphyxia.
• Hanging means self-suspension; the body weight is constricting force/partial/complete, which constricts the laryngeal/tracheal lumen, root of tongue/venous congestion/reflex vagal inhibition/cerebral ischemia/fracture and dislocation of cervical vertebra as in case of typical/judicial hanging.
• The doctor who is conducting the postmortem examination, on the basis of position and type of knot/material/partial/complete hanging/length of duration of hanging/slipping of ligature/partial hanging, has to opine with clarity on the following

• Whether the death is due to strangulation by ligature and subsequent postmortem hanging? This is a point of contention and requires clarity.
• What is the medicolegal inference of injury in neck as described ligature mark? Whether it is a case of antemortem homicidal hanging by use of force or poisoning?
• Whether it is a case of death due to asphyxia as a result of antemortem hanging or not? If yes then whether it is a case of suicidal hanging?
• What is the forensic importance/explanation of any other injury on body…..poisoning?