FSL investigations hampered.

SRINAGAR: The loss of vital clues and files at the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Bemina in the last month’s devastating floods is likely to hamper the investigations in the criminal cases.

The ground floor of the FSL remained inundated in water for days in the month of September, resulting in the vital documents of
many cases having got destroyed.
The ground floor houses the document division, legal section records, instrument lab, scientific officers documents, ballistic firing
room, store, chemicals required for
examination of the viscera, weapons that have been destroyed due to floods.

“We have also lost documents of some vital cases whose investigations are still pending,”
an official of FSL told The Kashmir Monitor.

“The examinations of new cases can’t be carried out till the chemicals are not available here.”

He said some scientific evidences of various cases have also been lost. “Now the authorities have to decide how to proceed these cases,” he said.

He said the thousands of files that have been damaged on the ground floor were carrying scientific evidences of criminal cases, suicides, fake currencies, rapes, accidents and killings.

While as officials within the Home
Department said they are yet to receive the report of cases that have been destroyed in the floods.

“Once we receive the report of
damaged files, the authorities of Home Department will decide what to do with those cases,” an official of Home Department said.

Sources said only one employee along with few security guards were present when water started seeping into the ground floor of the buildings. They said some systems were saved by an employee present there, when the water made its entry into the ground flood.

“No efforts were made to save the scientific evidences of cases and some vital files by the concerned officials,” sources said.

They said the files could have been saved had the officials come on the day when the water started entering into the buildings.

Now the files have been kept in the halls of the first floor for drying. But due to soaking in the floodwaters the hand written reports have been damaged. “We are hopeful that some records would be saved,” officials said.

The officials have cleaned the nauseating slush from the buildings. “Once we will access the value of chemicals that have been lost, the report will be submitted to the Home Department,” an official said.