Sidharth Shukla's viscera sent to lab for probe

The viscera and a few other internal organs of actor Sidharth Shukla, who died of a heart attack on Thursday at the age of 40, have been sent to laboratories for forensic examination, sources said on Friday.

Autopsy report of the actor, who was cremated here in the afternoon, did not reveal any internal injury but samples were sent to laboratories to rule out the possibility of foul play, they said.

The viscera was sent to the Kalina Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) while a few other organs were sent to the pathology laboratory of a medical college.

Shukla was brought to the civic-run R N Cooper Hospital here on Thursday morning after he took ill at home. The doctors declared him brought dead.

A forensic expert from the hospital said they sent the viscera to the FSL in suburban Kalina for further investigation to rule out the possibility of foul play.

"The FSL will investigate for presence of toxicity in the organs along with other details," he said, adding that the pathology lab will investigate other body organs and was expected to submit a report within two days.

Another official said the initial report indicated that heart attack was the cause of death and there was no internal injury.

The Mumbai police have, however, maintained that there are no signs of unnatural death in Sidharth Shukla's case.

The autopsy report of actor Sidharth Shukla, who died at the age of 40, does not mention the exact cause of death, police sources said on Friday.

The cause of the death will be known after reports of chemical analysis of the viscera and histopathology tests, a police official said.

"On the face of it, there were no signs of unnatural death (as per the  autopsy report)," the official said, referring to reports that a heart attack led to Shukla's demise.

There were no external injuries on the actor's body, another police official said.

The actor's viscera has been sent to the Kalina Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Mumbai and some organs were sent to the pathology laboratory of a medical college for examination, a source at the civic-run R N Cooper Hospital said.

A forensic expert from the hospital said they sent the viscera to the FSL to rule out the possibility of foul play.

"The FSL will investigate for the presence of toxicity in the organs and other details," he said, adding the pathology lab will examine the organs and submit a report within two days.

Shukla was rushed to the hospital on Thursday morning after he took ill at home. The doctors declared him brought dead.

He was cremated at the Oshiwara crematorium here on Friday afternoon in the presence of family members, friends and colleagues from the entertainment industry.

The actor had become a household name with his role in the long-running TV show Balika Vadhu and as winner of Bigg Boss 13. In 2014, he made his Bollywood debut with Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.