Death after eating cake: Postmortem inconclusive; water samples collected from victim’s home in Patiala

Mohit Khanna

Patiala, April 3

The post-mortem examination report of 10-year-old Manvi, who died due to suspected food poisoning after eating a birthday cake, has been found to be inconclusive. It was carried out by senior resident doctor of Government Rajindra Hospital Merry Pal Kaur Chawla.

The cause of death in the case has been kept pending till the receiving of histopathology report from the Department of Pathology and the chemical examiner report from the Forensic Science Laboratory at Kharar.

The post-mortem examination was conducted on March 25, after more than six hours of the death. The report, the copy of which is with The Tribune, found frothy secretion in the trachea (windpipe), both lungs congested and clotted blood in the heart.

Meanwhile, a Health Department team today visited Manvi’s house located in Aman Nagar and collected water samples from the house and surrounding areas. The health staff also asked the family that besides the cake what else Manvi had consumed that day. This irked the family. Kajal, the victim’s mother, said the team should declare how many times in the past one year they had collected the samples from the Kanha Bakery from where the cake was delivered.

She further said, “Did they collect the water samples from the bakery or check the hygiene conditions of the premises where the cakes were made. Whether the mandatory medical tests of the staff working there had been conducted. If yes, then the Health Department should make it public.”

“Only I know what I have been through in the past 10 days. My elder daughter died and the younger one was seriously ill when Manvi was being cremated,” she added.