Legal Perspective

Difference between blackening, burning/charring, and tattooing marks present around the entry wound in a medico-legal case.

Blackening:
Blackening can be caused both in contact/close-range shots as well as long-range fire shots.
(i) When a gun/pistol is fired, smoke comes out of the muzzle of the weapon due to the blast of gunpowder, which deposits around the entry wound in a contact wound or a close-range shot made from a distance of less than 3 feet, and the same causes blackening around the entry wound.
(ii) Blackening on the margins of the entry wound can occur even from long-range fire shots. On account of the friction of the lead bullet in the muzzle of the firearm, the lead bullet becomes a boiling object, and when it touches the skin of a human being (victim), it burns the skin on the margins of the entry wound.

Burning/Charring:
When a fire shot is made, a flame comes out of the muzzle, which causes burning/charring around the entry wound in the case of a close-range fire shot.

Tattooing:
When a fire shot is made, burnt and unburnt gunpowder also comes out of the muzzle of the weapon, and it causes tattooing around the entry wound in the case of a close-range fire shot.

I have come across a recent reported judgment of the Supreme Court of Pakistan rendered in a murder case wherein it has been held and observed that when there are no burning, charring, or tattooing marks around the entry wound and there is only blackening on the margins of the entry wound of the deceased, it could occur even in the case of a long-range shot. In that case, as per the site plan, the distance between the accused and the deceased was shown to be fifteen (15) feet, and as per medical evidence only blackening was found around the entry wound. Therefore, it was held that the medical evidence fully supported the case of the prosecution, and the appeal of the appellant was dismissed.

In 2017, in a village in Punjab, Pakistan, 21-year-old Aasia Bibi was facing intense pressure from her family over a forced marriage to her cousin. According to police investigations, she had repeatedly expressed that she did not want the marriage.

In desperation, Aasia attempted to poison a container of milk meant for her husband so she could escape the situation. Her husband refused to drink the milk. Tragically, the danger went unnoticed.

The following day, her mother-in-law unknowingly used the same milk to prepare lassi, a traditional yogurt-based drink, which was served to relatives during a family gathering. Twenty-seven family members consumed the lassi.

Within hours, people began falling seriously ill. Despite medical treatment, 17 to 18 family members died, including women and children, making it one of the deadliest accidental family poisonings in Pakistan’s recent history.

The case shocked the country and sparked discussions about the devastating consequences of forced marriages, family pressure, and the easy availability of toxic pesticides.