Lucknow FSL chief suspended

Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, September 4

The Uttar Pradesh Government on Monday suspended the director of Lucknow’s Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Shyam Bihari Upadhyay, for wrongly concluding that the powder found in the Vidhan Sabha was a dreaded explosive Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN).

However, the report of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Hyderabad, where the NIA had sent it for investigation, has found the substance to be silicon oxide, which is not an explosive substance and is used to polish metal, said Principal Secretary Home Arvind Kumar.

Kumar said: “Action is being taken against Upadhyay for handing over an incomplete, deceptive, unsubstantiated and wrong report on the sensitive matter of discovery of powder inside the Vidhan Sabha, continuously misleading the officials, getting the powder tested with an expired explosive detection kit by non-experts not from the explosives section and other financial irregularities.”

Upadhyay is also facing various charges of financial irregularities when he was heading the Forensic Science Laboratory in Patna from 2008 to 2010. The Principal Secretary also stated that Director General (Vigilance) Hitesh Awasthy has been asked to probe allegations levelled against Upadhayay. During suspension period, Upadhyaya would be attached with the office of Director General (Vigilance).

On the basis of Upadhyay’s incorrect report, CM Yogi Adityanath made a statement in the Vidhan Sabha on July 14, alleging a possible terror attack. He had revealed that on July 12 suspicious powder had been found inside the House which after preliminary investigation by the Lucknow FSL was found to be PETN.

After that the security was beefed up in the Vidhan Sabha complex. The investigation was handed over to the NIA, which registered a case on July 26 against unidentified persons under various sections of the IPC, including 121-A (punishment for waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India), 120 B (conspiracy), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosive Act.

It’s silicon oxide, used to polish metal

• Shyam Bihari Upadhyay, director of Lucknow's Forensic Science Laboratory, had wrongly concluded that the powder found in the Vidhan Sabha was a dreaded explosive Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN)
• However, the report of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Hyderabad, where the NIA had sent it for investigation, has found the substance to be silicon oxide, which is not explosive but is used to polish metal
• On the basis of Upadhyay's incorrect report, CM Yogi Adityanath had made a statement in the Vidhan Sabha on July 14, alleging a possible terror attack