Pioneer in Forensic Medicine, Dr Shirley Vasu no more

Kozhikode: Dr. Shirley Vasu, Kerala’s first woman forensic surgeon and a towering figure in the field of forensic medicine, passed away on Thursday at the age of 68 following a cardiac arrest. She collapsed at her residence in Mayanad and was rushed to Kozhikode Medical College, but could not be revived.

Dr. Vasu etched her name in the history of Kerala’s medical and legal landscape as the state’s first woman forensic surgeon. At the time of her passing, she was serving as the Head of the Forensic Department at KMCT Medical College, Kozhikode.

Throughout her illustrious career, Dr. Vasu was involved in thousands of medico-legal examinations and played a pivotal role in numerous high-profile cases. Among the most notable was the Soumya murder case, a brutal assault and murder on a moving train that shocked Kerala.

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According to TNIE, earlier, she handled the Chekannoor Maulavi disappearance case, one of the state’s most debated mysteries. Her expertise was sought in numerous controversial deaths and mass tragedies, from train accidents to bus fires, where she pieced together stories hidden in fractured bones and fading tissues.

Dr. Vasu began her career in 1982 as a tutor at Kozhikode Medical College and earned her MD in Forensic Medicine in 1984. Her career path took her to various prestigious institutions, including Kottayam Medical College, where she served as Assistant and Associate Professor. From 1997 to 1999, she was deputed as Professor at Pariyaram Medical College.

In July 2001, she became a Professor there and went on to handle several high-profile and controversial cases. In 2010, she joined Thrissur Medical College and served as the Head of the Forensic Department until 2012. In 2014, she became Principal, reports the Mathrubhumi.

In 1995, Dr Vasu was awarded a World Health Organization (WHO) fellowship for advanced training — a recognition that broadened her horizons and connected her with international forensic practices. She also underwent specialised training in the United Kingdom on handling atrocities against women and children, as well as forensic pathology related to terrorism cases, working closely with experts from Scotland Yard.

Her list of awards includes the Justice Fathima Beevi Award in 2017, the Vanitha Ratnam Award from the Kerala government, and the Devi Award for Professional Excellence in 2016.

She published extensively in both national and international medical journals and authored a compelling book titled Postmortem Table, which provided rare, introspective glimpses into her professional world.

Over her 40-year career, Dr Shirley Vasu performed nearly 20,000 autopsies and mentored hundreds of students who now serve as forensic professionals across India and abroad.

She is survived by her husband, a doctor, and their two children. Her students remember her not just for her clinical precision, but for her compassion.

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Speaking to TNIE, Naseema Abdul, one of her many students from Kozhikode, said, “From her first investigation of skeletal remains in the early 1980s to handling the Soumya murder case decades later, Dr Shirley Vasu’s journey was one of grit, brilliance, and service.”

“She was more than a doctor for us; she was a voice for the voiceless, a mentor for the next generation, and a symbol of women breaking barriers in science. As one of her former students, Dr Shirley taught us that the dead can speak. It is up to us to listen,” Naseema said, reports the TNIE.