RGCB to finish DNA test of dead fishermen

Arrangements made in labs to complete process on time

The Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, has directed the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) here to complete the DNA fingerprint examination of the bodies of fishermen found from the sea.

The CM had directed that the DNA examination of the relatives of the dead persons too be done free of cost. The RGCB Director said it had made arrangements for the labs to function round-the-clock so that the DNA sample examinations could be completed in a time-bound manner. However, the RGCB would only examine those samples that would come with the stamp and documents of the Home Department. Forensic surgeons at the Medical College hospital said some of the bodies of fishermen were in a badly decomposed state and that it was difficult to identify the bodies. According to the district health administration, of the 16 bodies washed ashore, four were identified.

Freezers

The rest of the bodies were stored in freezers at MCH, General Hospital, and Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology. DNA material has been collected in all cases wherein the bodies could not be identified, before storing it in freezers. Forensic surgeons normally depended on dental records, surgical implants in the body that remained intact, evidence of previous injuries or skeletal diseases etc. to identify bodies. When bodies are badly decomposed, they depend on tissue, tooth pulp, or bone marrow samples.

In this instance, sternum or breast bone has been preserved as the DNA sample and sent to the police, forensic surgeons said. For every missing person case, the relatives would be asked to come and provide DNA samples, from which a data base would be created. The bone marrow samples from the bodies would be matched against this database of living kin.

Samples from mother or father are easily matched but as the blood relation thins – brother or cousin – the DNA matching becomes laborious. For every victim, how many living relatives’ DNA will have to be matched against is a baffling question.