Police pull fast one in Madhumita case

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh policeappear to have played out a farcical probe into the murder of poet MadhumitaShukla, especially on the much-awaited DNA fingerprinting of a foetus purportedto be from her womb.Though the crime branch of the Lucknow policesaid it sent a sample of the foetus to the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting (CDFD)in Hyderabad, with a blood sample of Madhumita, investigations by The Times ofIndia have revealed only a foetus was sent. It was unaccompanied by any othersample.There is no way a scientist can establish anything from justa DNA sample. It requires another sample to be compared with to establish amatch. In this case, CDFD has been left holding a seven-month foetus believed tohave been taken from Madhumita’s body, now cremated.‘‘Under these circumstances, all that the scientists cando is prepare a DNA fingerprint of the foetus. Nothing more,’’sources said.And, it is learnt, no request was made to make the testa priority. Unless the urgency is specified, such tests can take anywherebetween eight and 10 weeks as CDFD has several such priority tests to beconducted at any time. If listed as priority, the DNA fingerprint result can begiven within 72-hours, sources added. The sample was sent from Lucknow, saidCB-CID, on May 27.They had said the sample of the foetus andMadhumita’s blood were sent to CDFD for establishing if she had beenpregnant — it had no relevance to whether Amar Mani Tripathi, theex-minister, was allegedly involved with Madhumita and whether the child she wascarrying could have been his. Officials probing the case had earlier said thatthe question of sending Tripathi’s sample for a DNA test did not arise ashe is not an accused in the case.