Schaffter’s body exhumed

The body of late Janashakthi Group Director Dinesh Schaffter was exhumed under special police protection at the Borella Cemetery today.

The body has been identified by Mr. Schaffter’s father Chandra and brother Ramesh.

Mr.Schaffter’s body was exhumed under the supervision of Additional Magistrate Rajindra Jayasuriya.

The five-member panel of medical experts appointed to investigate Mr. Schaffter’s death requested the Colombo Magistrate’s Court to exhume his body in order to find the cause of death.

Even though the court has informed that the exhumation of the body should be carried out openly, the journalists said that the police prevented the journalists from entering the cemetery.

However, the journalists have been allowed to enter the cemetery after a while and they have been stationed 30 meters away from the exhumation site.

Colombo Additional Magistrate Jayasuriya earlier rejected a request made by the relatives of Mr. Schaffter to conduct the exhumation without the presence of media.

President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne who appeared on behalf of the relatives of the deceased made a request to allow the exhumation of Mr. Schaffter’s body to be carried out in private in the presence of the family pathologist.

The Magistrate said that a special committee has been appointed to conduct investigations independently and that she did not want to influence the committee’s affairs. The Magistrate rejected the requests and ordered the family members to be present at the exhumation site by 8.30 am today (25).