Kerala’s first woman forensic surgeon, Dr Shirley Vasu, 68, passed away on Thursday. She collapsed at her home and was rushed to Kozhikode Medical College, but could not be saved.

Dr Shirley Vasu had served as forensic surgeon in several high-profile cases, including the Soumya murder case.

She was former head of the Forensic Department at Kozhikode Medical College. She is currently serving as the Head of the Forensic Department at KMCT Medical College, Kozhikode. Dr. Shirley Vasu was a prominent presence in the field of forensics. During her career, she examined thousands of cases and imparted knowledge in forensic medicine to hundreds of students.

placeholder
The body at her Mayanad residence. Husband Balakrishnan and daughter Nandana are seen

Dr Shirley Vasu was Kerala’s first woman forensic surgeon. She had conducted the post-mortem examination of Soumya, who was assaulted and murdered on a train.

She began her career in 1982 as a tutor at Kozhikode Medical College. In 1984, she earned her MD in Forensic Medicine. She went on to serve as Assistant Professor and Associate Professor at Kottayam Medical College. From 1997 to 1999, she was deputed as Professor at Pariyaram Medical College, after which she returned to Kozhikode Medical College as Associate Professor.

In July 2001, she became 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.

In 2017, she received the Kerala government’s Justice Fathima Beevi Award. Her husband is Dr K. Balakrishnan. They have two children, Nandana and Nithin.