Uttrakhand Disaster: Status of Disaster Victim Identification in India

The identification of dead is imperative in society not only for humanitarian reasons but also from legal point of view. A large number of disaster victims go unidentified every year where the human remains are destroyed beyond recognition. The aim of this article is to focus on the aspects of the preparedness, readiness and the role of Indian forensic professionals towards the Disaster Victim Identification. The present case study is about the flash flood disaster due to sudden cloud burst in Uttrakhand, India 2013, the deployment of Forensic Experts at ground zero and their work regarding searching and management of dead victims to aid their identification.