Autopsy back in chengguan case

The Chenzhou Public Security Bureau in Hunan Province announced on Wednesday that the fruit vendor who died after a confrontation with urban management officers, or chengguan, died from head injuries caused by external force, according to a report released on the county's official news portal.

However, experts say that the report sheds no light on what the cause of the external force might be.

The announcement followed the autopsy and medical investigation performed at the Guangzhou-based Center for Medicolegal Expertise of Sun Yat-Sen University.

The fruit vendor, Deng Zhengjia, 56, fell to the ground and died after he and his wife had an altercation with urban management officers for selling watermelons on the street without a permit in Linwu county, which is affiliated to Chenzhou, on July 17.

Deng's family members alleged that he was beaten to death by chengguan. Rumors circulated that Deng was hit in the head with an iron weight by an urban management officer but these rumors were quickly denied by local police.

"The description in the bureau's announcement sounds objective," Wang Jishan, a vice president of Peking University People's Hospital told the Global Times Thursday. "External force has led to many wounds on Deng's head. We can't determine the source of the external force, but we can be sure that Deng's death is not caused by suicide."

On July 18, the bureau conducted an autopsy on Deng and took tissue from Deng's organs under the witness of staff from Chenzhou prosecutor's office, officials from Liantang village and Deng's relatives. The samples were shipped to the center in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province that night.

The autopsy revealed bruises to several parts of Deng's body and hemorrhaging to his skull and brain. His other organs were reported to be normal, showing no sign of injury, and they found no fractures.

"The wounds in Deng's body are not fatal," the bureau was quoted in the report as saying, adding the case will require further investigation. Police intend to question witnesses, amass more evidence and interrogate relevant suspects before transferring the case to the local prosecutor's office.

A police officer from the bureau, surnamed Duan, refused to comment on the announcement when reached by the Global Times.

Deng's relatives and the heads of the Party committees in Linwu county and Chenzhou could not be reached.

The incident, which sparked national anger, led to two officials being removed from their posts and six chengguang detained.

Deng's family has received 897,000 yuan ($146,301) in compensation from the government.