Bengaluru's Bowring Hospital designated nodal centre for DNA profiling of Nepal flood victim's kin

Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has designated Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Bengaluru as the nodal centre for verifying relatives and collecting DNA samples from first-degree relatives of Karnataka residents reported missing in the Nepal-Tibet flash floods.

The initiative is aimed at helping identify unidentified mortal remains recovered in Nepal and facilitate their repatriation to the families. The Government of Nepal and the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu have initiated the process of identifying bodies and handing them over to the respective families.

Under the arrangement, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters and spouses of missing persons can approach the designated hospital for relationship verification and DNA sample collection. They will be required to carry a recent passport-sized photograph, government-issued identity proof such as Aadhaar, and documents establishing their relationship with the missing person.

According to News Minute, the relationship will be verified using available official records and the documents submitted by the family. The referral to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) must also carry a certification from the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner’s office or the concerned Deputy Commissioner’s office.

The certification will contain details of the missing person, the relative providing the sample, their relationship and the documents submitted for verification.

Following verification, the DNA samples will be sent to the FSL for profiling. The profiles will then be shared with the Nepalese authorities to help match them with DNA profiles being prepared from unidentified bodies.

A senior forensic medicine official at Bowring Hospital has been designated to oversee the verification and collection process, with assistance from the hospital's Resident Medical Officer. 

KSDMA has also directed Deputy Commissioners and district disaster management authorities to inform families of missing persons about the procedure and assist them in completing the required formalities. 

The initiative follows instructions issued by the Embassy of India in Kathmandu regarding the identification and repatriation of mortal remains recovered following the flash floods in Nepal.