Introduction: Hanging or self suspension is a type of violent asphyxial death which is caused by complete or partial suspension of body by the ligature material, encircling the neck and force of constriction being at least part of the weight of body. Sometimes it has been noticed that either feet or any part of body of the victim of hanging used to touch the ground or any other surface, which is known as partial hanging. The causative factors behind partial hanging are – (i) low point suspension and (ii) long ligature material. Such type of hanging cases are found in less number of cases and in most of the cases relative/ (s) of the deceased used to suspect the same as homicidal one. Materials & Methods: The present study was conducted in the department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology at LAM, GMC Raigarh (C.G.) during the period from 1st April 2015 to 31st December 2017. During this period total numbers of autopsies performed were 1552, of which total number of hanging cases were 147 and partial hanging cases were 15 in number. The present study is retrospective observational study. The cases, where inquest report prepared by either police or by magistrate had clearly mentioned that either feet or any part of the body touches the ground or any other object, were only selected for the study. Results & Observations: In the present study 15 cases (10.20%) out of total 147 hanging cases, were partial hanging. Among total partial hanging cases, maximum number of cases (60%) belongs to 21-40 years age group. Males are more prone to commit suicide by hanging than females. In our study we have also found that suicide by hanging is more in urban (60%) than rural (40%) population. Conclusion: The cases of partial hanging are sometimes suspected to be homicidal in nature. Therefore before final opinion, all circumstantial evidences and chemical examiner report should be taken into consideration by the medico-legal expert. Also, in all these cases the viscera should be preserved by the autopsy surgeon, otherwise it will remain fatal to the prosecution case.

Keywords: Hanging; Asphyxia; Suicide; Partial/Incomplete hanging; Autopsy; Homicidal.