1Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune
2Senior Resident, Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Institute of Naval Medicine, INHS Asvini, Mumbai
3Professor & Head, Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Armed Forces Medical College, Pune
Hanging is a common method of committing suicide. Usually in hanging, ligature and knot form a fixed or running noose around neck and seldom simple loop without knot is used. A 35 years old male committed suicidal hanging using a saree as ligature wherein the compression of neck has occurred in the absence of a noose, loop and knot around the neck. The body of the deceased was suspended from hook in ceiling by a saree used as ligature material, with the two limbs of the ligature passing around the neck, crossing over to opposite sides of the chest, and finally knot tied in front of abdomen after encircling the back. This arrangement of ligature material tied around the abdomen acts like a harness supporting the body weight. As a result, despite complete suspension of the body from the suspension point, the fatal pressure on the neck is produced only by the head and maybe by the forward leaning chest and arms, as in partial hanging.
Suicidal hanging, ‘V’ shaped ligature mark, Ligature tied around abdomen
