UP Blasts: Crucial evidence could have been lost

Lucknow: Even as Central Forensic teams make their way to the blast site in Uttar Pradesh, it could be too late to collect all vital evidence.

Minutes after the blast at the Lucknow civil courts, lawyers and bystanders surrounded the blast site, venting their anger against the adminstration. In the free for all, most people walked all over the blast site, obliterating what could have been crucial forensic evidence.

Apart from casually walking on and around the blast site, bystanders were even seen handling what looked splinters from the bomb. In an absolute lack of handling an emergency situation and despite police reports that suggested there could have been a second bomb, no efforts were made to clear the court premises.

Even when the police arrived, they came without forensic experts, thereby prolonging the necessary procedures in collecting on-site evidence.

If allowing a free-for-all for bystanders was not enough, two policemen were seen casually handling the bicycle and bag – which held the bomb – with their bare hands, perhaps wiping out fingerprints if there were any.

As the bicycle and other evidence was paraded before the media before finally being loaded on to an autorickshaw and taken away, one wonders if the police in our country are equipped in dealing with a blast situation and preserving evidence.

(With Karma Paljor )