K Torture, Suicide and Sexual Assault 87. What is beating and how it can lead to death? Beating is one of the most common forms of torture and can take many forms, varying both with the weapon used and the part of the body injured. Unless severe and repeated, beating is not often the sole cause of death, though this can occur from haemorrhage, sepsis, injured internal organs, or from sheer exhaustion and pain in an already debilitated victim. The blows may be in licted by ist or foot, but are more often applied with a weapon. The use of a whip or lathi-like instrument is common, but metal or wooden bars, clubs, batons, ri le butts or belts may be used. 88. How a suspected offender could die while being detained / overpowered by police personnel? • Traumatic asphyxia (prevention of respiratory movements) may occur where several policemen fall upon a resisting subject to overpower him. • Arm-locks or neck-holds applied by police of icers to resisting persons are other causes of deaths during arrest. • Postural (positional) asphyxia has been reported to have caused sudden deaths in persons after the use of the 'hogtie', 'hobble' or prone maximal restraint and even in situations where a person has been placed in a prone position in the rear compartment of a police car. Acute intoxication by alcohol or drugs, are responsible for the sudden deaths of individuals placed in this position. • Head injuries may occur during a scuf le from falls either against the ground, or against a wall or other obstruction. A heavy punch in the face may cause nasopharyngeal bleeding that can block the air passages, especially in a person affected by alcohol. A blow on the side of the neck can cause re lex cardiac arrest or a bleeding around brain. • Alcohol is a frequent cause of death in custody. Acute alcoholic poisoning may lead to death while the victim is thought to be 'sleeping it off' in a police cell. At lower blood alcohol levels there is still the risk of aspiration of vomit and choking on gastric contents. MEDICAL DIMENSION OF FREQUENTLY ENCOUNTERED CASES | 62