DNA profiling to confirm the identity of the persons who died in the Bangalore-Nanded Express fire accident has revealed that the body of Ishwar Nagre, a resident of Aurangabad, had been handed over to the relatives of Bhimayya S., a native of Sedam in Gulbarga.
The case of mistaken identity was realised when one of the DNA profiles of the dead person did not match with that of the relatives.
Officials overseeing the process of releasing the bodies to the relatives confirmed that the body taken away for the last rites by the relatives of Bhimayya, a former member of the Gulbarga Zilla Panchayat, was in fact the body of Ishwar Nagre (70).
On the condition of anonymity, the officials said that the body of Ishwar Nagre was handed over to the relatives of Bhimayya on Saturday night due to “political pressure”. Bhimayya’s body has been interred.
“However, the body will be exhumed and taken to Ishwar Nagre’s native place from Sedam on Wednesday,” the officials added. The body was handed over on the condition that it would not be cremated and that the relatives will exhume it, if DNA profiling did not match, they said.
When contacted over phone, Bhimayya’s relatives in Sedam said that there was no communication to them yet about the DNA match results. The officials, however, expect them to arrive in Bangalore on Wednesday to receive Bhimayya’s body.
Meanwhile, officials of the forensic wing at Victoria Hospital said that the DNA profile of one of the 26 dead persons did not match with that of the relative. But, the officials were quick to attribute this to a “technical reason”. Hence, the officials will now repeat the process.
As most of the bodies were charred beyond recognition, the authorities had to carry out DNA profiling to avoid confusion when relatives came to claim the bodies.
