Biko: police heads may roll

Press, 4 October 1977, Page 8

Biko: police heads may roll

NZPA-Reuter Johannesburg The South African Police Commissioner (General Gert L. Prinsloo) strongly hinted yesterday that charges would be brought against some of the police officers who detained and interrogated Steve Biko, the country’s foremost young black leader, before his death in custody on September 12, the New York Times News Service reports. In a statement to the er,” a major Johannesnewspaper, General Prinsloo said that an in-' <vestigation into the cause of i Mr Biko’s death had begun the day he died. “However, we cannot put the case before the Attorney-General • before the post-mortem findings have been received,” he said. The Police Commissioner’s statement came amid a welter of newspaper reports citing sources close to the autopsy as saying that a preliminary report handed to the Government 14 days ago listed severe brain damage as the primary cause of death. According to the newspapers, the report said that the brain damage could have been caused by a severe blow on the head. The same accounts said that the chief State pathologist who conducted the autopsy, Dr J. T. Loubser, had also found several broken ribs. In addition, Dr Loubser was said to have found evidence that the 30-year-old black leader had been suffering from kidney disease and circulatory problems, but the newspaper reports said that the pathologist had discounted these as the primary cause of death.