Officials said of the 289 people killed in India’s deadliest rail crash in over two decades, bodies of 208 of them have been identified since June 2
Bijender Rishidhar, a daily wager from Bihar’s Purnea, borrowed money to travel to Odisha when he came to know about the death of his son Suraj Kumar, 21, in the June 2 train crash. He hoped to get the body of his only son as soon as possible for last rites for some sense of closure. Rishidhar identified the body (number 159) at a mortuary at Bhubaneswar’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on June 5 based on the Aadhar card found in Kumar’s wallet.
But over a week later, Rishidhar’s wait continues. Authorities were awaiting the result of a DNA test before handing over to him his son’s remains. “First, we were told that the DNA test results would be out in 48 hours and I can take the body. Then, it was extended to two days…five days. Now more than a week has passed and no one knows for sure when the results would come. I am a daily wager and borrowed money to travel to Odisha. I have not earned a single rupee in the last week,” said Rishidhar, who has been staying at a private guest house near AIIMS with around dozen others.
Ashok Rabi Das from West Bengal’s Malda has similarly been waiting for 10 days to get the disfigured body of his brother Krishna, 20, who was returning from Bengaluru on the Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express when the Coromandel Express hit it.
Das identified Krishna’s body on June 4 from the belt, pants, and shirt he was wearing. But he was not given the body and asked to give his blood sample for DNA matching. “People got bodies of their near and dear ones soon after the accident. I do not understand why the officials did not hand over my brother’s body though I could clearly identify it from his clothes. I have no idea how long the DNA test result would take,” he said.
India’s deadliest rail crash on June 2 in over two decades left 289 people dead. Officials said 208 bodies have been identified since June 2. But with multiple claims over some bodies, the state government decided on DNA sampling.
Ajit Kumar from Bihar’s Begusarai said he has waiting for the body of his brother Sujit Kumar, 23, since June 6. “The body number 27 at AIIMS mortuary is of my brother as it has a tattoo of Mahakal. I could also recognise my brother as he had a longer thumbnail. But I have been waiting for the DNA sample test since June 6,” he said.
Pravash Ranjan Tripathy, an anatomy professor at AIIMS, said the process is cumbersome due to multiple factors, including the quality of DNA extracted from the bodies. “We have sent 75 samples to Delhi for testing. But they would take at least 10 to 15 days. We are also unsure how many samples will match. In some cases, samples of uncles and nephews have been taken instead of fathers, mothers, or siblings who are first-degree relations. DNA matching accuracy is higher in first-degree relations,” he said.
