Malappuram: The family of a 21-year-old Kerala medical student, who was murdered in Uzbekistan, has raised serious allegations that she was subjected to brutal assault and was repeatedly pressured to convert to another religion before her death. The claims emerged as police authorities in Kerala registered a case and prepared to conduct a second postmortem at the request of the victim's family.

Savariya Basanth, a native of Harippad in Alappuzha district, was killed, allegedly following an altercation with her fellow student on July 3 in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, where she was pursuing her first year MBBS course at Bukhara State Medical University. The accused, 22-year-old Sadarul Anam, a native of Pulamanthol near Perinthalmanna in Malappuram district and first year MBBS student at the same university, is currently in the custody of the Uzbekistan police.

Speaking after returning from Uzbekistan, Savariya's uncle Janeesh alleged that investigators there had confirmed that Savariya suffered brutal physical assault before her death. He also claimed that friends of both the victim and the accused had told police that Sadarul Anam had been forcing Savariya to convert to another religion.

"The investigating officer, who explained the details of the case to me, said there were multiple injuries and marks on her body indicating brutal assault. He also confirmed that friends had stated Sadarul had been pressuring her for religious conversion. This was not merely an attack with a laptop, as initial reports suggested. It was brutal murder. We do not yet know the exact motive behind such a savage attack. Only a detailed investigation can reveal the truth," Janeesh said, adding that the family had sought a re-postmortem in India because obtaining the complete postmortem records and other documents from Uzbekistan would be difficult.

Following a complaint filed by Savariya's father, Basanth, the Kerala Police registered a case and initiated legal proceedings in the state. A re-postmortem is scheduled to be conducted at the Alappuzha Government Medical College, after the body was brought to Kochi early Thursday.

Police completed the inquest proceedings before the re-postmortem, and the body is expected to be handed over to the family for funeral rites later in the day.

The murder came to light after Savariya's family was unable to reach her over phone and began making enquiries. According to Sadarul Anam's family, the tutor of Sadarul Anam informed his father, Hyder, a retired Public Works Department official, about the incident on the afternoon of July 4. Hyder subsequently applied for a visa to travel to Uzbekistan.

The findings of the re-postmortem are expected to play a crucial role in determining the nature of the injuries and to assist the ongoing investigation.