Nana Patekar's death registered as ‘unnatural’, Goa police to begin enquiry

Actor Nana Patekar died on October 8 at his residence in Goa. A day after the actor breathed his last, the Panaji Police registered an Unnatural Death (UD) case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

The 75-year-old died at his residence in Goa on Wednesday morning. After he reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest, he was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead.

Nana Patekar's death registered as ‘unnatural’, Goa police to begin enquiry

The Welcome actor breathed his last at his residence in Ocean Park, Dona Paula, Goa on Wednesday morning after a cardiac arrest. ANI reported that Goa police have registered a an Unnatural Death (UD) case and an enquiry into the matter is currently in progress.

Also read: Nana Patekar laid to rest; CM Devendra Fadnavis, Jackie Shroff pay tribute

‘’Panaji Police registers an Unnatural Death (UD) case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) following the death of veteran actor Vishwanath (Nana) Gajanan Patekar,'' the post reads.

As per the post and the reports, Nana was brought dead to the casualty ward of Manipal Hospital, Bambolim. Enquiry into the matter is currently in progress.

‘’According to the police record, the 76-year-old actor was brought dead to the casualty ward of Manipal Hospital, Bambolim, from his residence at Ocean Park, Dona Paula. Further enquiry into the matter is currently in progress, led by PSI Nitin Naik,'' reads the ANI post.

Also read: Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan mourn Nana Patekar: 'Too soon my hero actor'

On Thursday, Dr Shekhar Salkar, Chief of the Oncology Department at Manipal Hospital, told ANI that they had filed a police case because there's an MLC (medico-legal case).

“They shifted him to our hospital at around 4:20 or 4:30 am. We also tried our best, but he was brought dead. Then we had to file a police case because there's an MLC (medico-legal case),” he said.

What is a medico-legal case?

This is a case where a doctor feels that the particular case is linked to a legal angle that requires police attention. It is not a criminal tag or an FIR, but a procedure that a doctor is bound to follow.

In the case of Nana Patekar, the actor was brought dead to the hospital after dying alone at home. That is why the police were involved, and a case was registered as an Unnatural Death. This is done to complete medico-legal formalities and to rule out any foul play or negligence. If required, a post-mortem is conducted. However, it can be waived if the family provides the medical history and the doctor certifies a natural cause of death, such as cardiac arrest. This process is also necessary to issue the final report required for the death certificate.