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Meet the forensic dentist racing against time so kin of Air India crash victims can say final goodbye

Dr Jayasankar P Pillai and team are extracting DNA from teeth of deceased so they can be matched with samples taken from family members anxiously waiting to claim mortal remains.

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Ahmedabad: Dr. Jayasankar P. Pillai, his colleagues and dental students have no time to spare at B.J. Medical College and Civil Hospital. After all, he and his team are in a race against time to give “identity” to the bodies of the Air India crash victims, many of which are charred beyond recognition.

Teeth and bones—which are hard than other parts of the body—are the only sources of DNA available in degraded or fragmented human remains.

Pillai and his team are working, almost non-stop, to extract DNA from teeth of the victims so that anxious relatives can claim the mortal remains of their loved ones at the earliest, especially keeping in mind the summer heat.

“Dental DNA is the fastest way to identify (the dead). It speeds up the matching process. So, we are here to help in the postmortem,” says Dr Pillai, who is helped by MDS students in collecting DNA samples.

With an experience of handling over 500 medico-legal cases, including age estimations and sex identifications, Dr Pillai has investigated cases referred from the B.J.Medical College’s forensic medicine department, according to his LinkedIn bio. He has also appeared as an expert witness for age estimation in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) cases on more than 50 occasions.

“The situation is very distressing, but we are doing and trying our level best,” the forensic odontologist told ThePrint, before rushing back to work.

At the medical college in Ahmedabad, a dedicated room is present for DNA sample collection wherein victim families are coming for tests. The results are expected to be out in 72 hours once samples are collected and matched.

Relatives of air crash victims fill form for DNA test to claim bodies | Praveen Jain | ThePrint
Relatives of air crash victims fill form for DNA test to claim bodies | Praveen Jain | ThePrint

On Thursday during his visit to Ahmedabad, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had told the media that about 1,000 DNA tests will be carried out in Gujarat alone.

The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and the National Forensic Sciences University are carrying out DNA tests for identification of the victims following which their bodies will be handed over to their families.


Also Read: How Ahmedabad NGO mobilised 200 volunteers & collected 900 units of blood within hrs of Air India crash


Full-preparation for accommodation

As the kin of the victims arrive in Ahmedabad, the roads and buildings department has arranged accommodation for them. The department has booked at least three facilities for this purpose. Additionally, it has also set up a help desk at the medical college.

“We have made this arrangement so that we can provide accommodation to the families requiring it. Since Thursday, I have received many calls and arranged accommodation for at least 15 families,” Krunalbhai Patel, an official of the department, tells ThePrint. “We are here to help the distressed families.”

A poster on the wall of the hospital informs the people of the rooms arranged for them.

“Keeping in mind the difficult times created by the recent unfortunate plane crash event in Ahmedabad, the roads and buildings department of Gujarat has made arrangements for the relatives of the passengers who were affected by this incident to stay at Circuit House and at other places as well as transportation facility from Civil Hospital to reach the said places,” it reads.

Passengers whose families or relatives have arrived in connection with this accident and need accommodation or transportation facilities can avail stay at the aforementioned places, the poster says.

(Edited by Tony Rai)


Also Read: Air India crash: Family supplying tiffin to medical college awaits news on missing kin, including 2-yr-old


 

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