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By:

Keshav Humar and Somya Soin

20 October 2024 at 11:26:24 am

India’s Forensic Blind Spot: The Case for Forensic Odontology

It is not just about solving crimes; it is about restoring identity and dignity. AI generated image Imagine the heartache when someone you care about goes missing or is lost in a disaster. The uncertainty of their fate can be unbearable. In these moments, identifying a person is not just a scientific process; it's an act of dignity, compassion, and delivering justice. Interestingly, one of the most dependable tools for this task is found right inside our mouths: our teeth. Forensic...

India’s Forensic Blind Spot: The Case for Forensic Odontology

It is not just about solving crimes; it is about restoring identity and dignity. AI generated image Imagine the heartache when someone you care about goes missing or is lost in a disaster. The uncertainty of their fate can be unbearable. In these moments, identifying a person is not just a scientific process; it's an act of dignity, compassion, and delivering justice. Interestingly, one of the most dependable tools for this task is found right inside our mouths: our teeth. Forensic odontology, or forensic dentistry, involves using teeth and dental records to identify individuals and support criminal investigations. While we typically think of dentists as caregivers for our oral health, forensic odontologists work hand in hand with police, forensic experts, and disaster response teams to establish identities and aid the justice system. Teeth, being the hardest parts of the human body, often withstand fires, explosions, natural disasters and advanced decomposition when other identifiers, like fingerprints or facial features, are destroyed. Just like fingerprints, each person's dental features, such as fillings, crowns, bridges, and even missing teeth, are unique. Sometimes, a simple smiling photograph or an old dental X-ray can be the key to solving the puzzle of someone's identity. Forensic odontology plays a vital role in situations like air crashes, train accidents, building collapses, natural disasters, burnt or badly decomposed bodies, unidentified bodies and criminal cases. For children whose identities are unknown, developing teeth can help estimate their age. While adult teeth can assist in reconstructive identification of unidentified individuals and comparative identification when missing persons’ dental records are available. Scientific identification of bite marks can be crucial in criminal investigations. In cases of severely damaged bodies, DNA from teeth can survive and confirm a person’s identity. Globally, forensic odontology is one of the three primary methods for identifying disaster victims, along with fingerprint analysis and DNA profiling. Countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Germany, and the United States have robust forensic odontology services that are integral to their disaster response and law enforcement systems. In India, this field still faces challenges. Although there are trained forensic odontologists, the speciality has not yet been fully woven into disaster management and medico-legal infrastructure. Dental record maintenance is inconsistent, and there are very limited opportunities for specialists in this domain. As disasters and complex investigations become more frequent, these gaps need urgent attention. The significance of forensic odontology has been recognised by the courts as well. The Supreme Court of India acknowledged its importance in the Mukesh & Others v. State (NCT of Delhi) (2017) case, calling it an “important and indispensable science” for legal matters. Properly examined dental evidence was accepted as valuable expert testimony in the administration of justice. Public awareness is important. Everyone can contribute by preserving dental records. Don’t throw away dental prescriptions or treatment summaries. Keep copies of dental X-rays, orthodontic records, and implant details, and store digital copies securely. Inform your family where these records are kept and update them after dental treatments. Something as ordinary as a dental record today could one day help identify you or a loved one with certainty. Remember this simple truth: Your teeth are like a permanent identity card inside your mouth. Every filling, crown, and implant tells a unique story that no one else shares. Forensic odontology isn’t just about solving crimes or identifying disaster victims. It restores identities, provides closure to grieving families, aids in legal and insurance matters, ensures dignified last rites, prevents mistaken identities, and strengthens the pursuit of justice. Official recognition of this speciality, standardised dental record maintenance, and its integration into disaster response systems are no longer optional but essential steps towards building a safer, more humane, and more resilient country. (Dr. Kumar is a former IPS officer and forensic consultant to Assam government. Dr. Somya Soin is forensic odontology professional. Views personal.)

An Open Letter to the Terrorists Who Attacked Pahalgam

You bunch of spineless cowards. It is well past midnight and I just can’t sleep. Not after hearing of your gruesome, senseless killing of innocent people in my motherland. You sick people.


I write to you as a furious, heart-broken Indian Muslim. A man whose soul is torn between unimaginable grief and blazing rage. When you attacked civilians in Pahalgam, you pierced through the heart of every Indian who still believes in unity, in peace, in justice.


I speak not just as an individual, but as the son of a family that has lived and breathed service to this nation. Patriotism runs through my veins. My father, Lt. Gen. Zameer Uddin Shah, retired as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff and later became a voice for the Muslim intelligentsia as the Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. His younger brother, the celebrated actor Naseeruddin Shah and my father’s elder brother, a respected IITian, have all been honoured by the President of India for their distinguished contributions to this great nation.


My family has always been treated with dignity, and I have always been a proud Indian before being anything else. It is from this legacy of honour, service and nation-first values that I draw my strength. It is exactly this legacy that makes your actions even more revolting to me.


So many of the films I’ve acted in—stories that celebrated love, sacrifice, unity—were shot in the breathtaking valleys of Pahalgam and across Kashmir. National award-winning films like ‘Haider,’ ‘BajrangiBhaijaan,’ ‘Mojhi’ and the web series Avrodh (where I portrayed a Para Commando) were born in these very lands you’ve tried to desecrate. I’ve walked those serene paths and seen firsthand the harmony that lives in every fold of those hills. In my TEDx talks across the world, I’ve spoken of India’s soul, its strength in diversity, its unmatched spiritual and cultural richness. And today, you have tried to rip that soul apart.


But your bullets cannot silence beauty. Your hatred cannot erase harmony. Pahalgam is a living memory of what India truly stands for. And by spilling blood on its soil, you’ve not weakened us. You’ve reminded us of what we must protect with more resolve than ever before.


You claim to ‘fight’ for something. For what? For Islam? For Kashmir? Don’t insult our intelligence. You are not freedom fighters. You are butchers; cowards hiding behind guns, masks and false slogans. You targeted simple tourists, children, mothers, pilgrims, newlyweds—unarmed, defenceless human beings. And you dare to call this Jihad?


No, this is not Jihad. Jihad means “struggle.” What you did was ‘gunah’—sin, bloodshed and a betrayal of both humanity and God. You’ve dragged the name of Allah through the blood-soaked soil of Pahalgam. You’ve taken a religion of peace, twisted and misinterpreted it, and turned it into a weapon of terror.


I am ashamed that you and I were born into the same faith because we are nothing alike. My religion is humanity. The Islam I know teaches me to protect the innocent. Yours glorifies slaughter. My Islam teaches me to serve my country.


Today, because of you, I now carry a burden I never asked for. Every time someone hears a Muslim name or sees a skullcap, there’s suspicion in their eyes. All because of you. Right-thinking, patriotic Muslims who love their motherland are forced to explain, defend and apologize for crimes they never committed and beliefs they never endorsed.


You’ve taken lives. But worse, you’ve tried to take away trust. You’ve tried to make it impossible for an Indian Muslim to love his country openly, freely without being questioned. That is your real crime. And guess what? You’ve failed. You will always fail.


Because we, the real Muslims, the real Indians, are still standing. And we are furious. Not afraid, furious. We will not be pushed into corners. We will not be silenced by your bullets. We will not let you rewrite what it means to be one of us. To the people of India, please do not confuse these monsters with your Muslim brothers and sisters. We are bleeding with you. We are angry with you. And we are not your enemy. We are just as victimised by these cowards as every other Indian.


You are nothing but a blot, a rotting scar on the face of humanity. But this country, this unity, this idea of India is eternal. You tried to terrorize us. But you’ve only awakened us. To the families in Pahalgam, I offer not just prayers, but a promise: we shall not forget nor forgive. We will not rest until your loss echoes in the conscience of this country and justice is served. You terrorists are not ‘Muslims.’ The Muslim community around the world disowns you. You didn’t just attack Kashmir. You attacked all of us. And we will rise—as a nation, as Indians.


Jai Hind.


(The author is a former military officer, motivational speaker and actor.)

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