India: Centre to create DNA bank of unidentified bodies

Every year, about 40,000 unidentified bodies are disposed of even as thousands go missing across the country. Is there a link between unidentified bodies and missing persons?

The Centre on Monday responded positively to a PIL by NGO Lokniti Foundation and said it has drafted a bill for creating DNA data bank of all unidentified bodies to help find possible link between missing persons and unidentified bodies.

The NGO, through advocate Ashok Dhamija, had suggested keeping DNA profile of the bodies before their disposal to help break the news of the death to families waiting for their missing near and dear ones.

Appearing for the Centre, additional solicitor general Neeraj Kishan Kaul said an expert committee appointed by the department of biotechnology had examined privacy-related issues in the draft 'Human DNA Profiling Bill" and suggested several categories of such profiling, which included the category of unidentified bodies.

"By international standards, one DNA examiner can undertake 100 cases per year. Therefore, India would require 400 DNA examiners (for 40,000 bodies) to do the job. It is financially very resource intensive as on an average, at current costs, it requires Rs 20,000 per case. The cost of identifying 40,000 unidentified bodies would require Rs 80 crore per year. In addition, the overhead cost of salaries and other expenses for keeping 400 DNA examiners and support employees would have to be taken into account," the Centre said.

At present, India has 30-40 DNA examiners in forensic laboratories for 1.2 billion population against an estimated requirement of around 800-1,000 such examiners, it conceded.

"Therefore, it is necessary to set up large number of DNA testing units with skilled personnel who are capable of handling forensic DNA testing for keeping data bank of unidentified bodies," the Centre said.

Dhamija had earlier argued that unidentified bodies could be because of serious crimes. "Since the bodies cannot be identified using traditional methods, the perpetrators of the possible crime remain untraced and the families to which the victims belong never come to know about the fate of their relatives," he said.

"DNA profiling of unidentified bodies can help match the missing persons. In addition, DNA profiling of missing persons could help trace them and reunite several who had either been missing or kidnapped as children and forced into prostitution, bonded labour or even those who have turned mentally unstable," he added.

The petitioner said that though the government had been considering a proposal for DNA profiling of unidentified bodies since 2007, no decision was taken yet. As per data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau, number of unidentified bodies recovered and inquest conducted were 37,282 in 2007, 37,668 in 2008, 34,902 in 2009, 33,857 in 2010 and 37,193 in 2011.

In 2011, the highest number of unidentified bodies was recovered in Maharashtra (6,313), followed by Tamil Nadu (4,479), Uttar Pradesh (4,084), West Bengal (3,704), Delhi (2,748), Andhra Pradesh (2,639), Karnataka (2,440), Gujarat (2,099), Madhya Pradesh (1,191), Rajasthan (1,170), Haryana (1,159) and Punjab (1,004).

The petitioner said, "One of the main reasons for large number of bodies remaining unidentified is that people freely move from one part to another in search of work and members of poor families have no means to keep in touch with their near and dear ones. It becomes difficult for the local police to identify persons who have no local connection and who have died without anyone complaining of death caused by any mischief."

It said 11,846, 13,586 and 13,268 people went missing in Delhi alone in 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively. In Andhra Pradesh, 47,936 people went missing during 2009-12 and in Gujarat, another 37,395 were reported missing during 2007-11.

Tuesday 20 January 2015

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