Green crackers or not, forensic lab has a tough job on hand
The forensic science laboratory (FSL) in north Delhi's Rohini will get the first sample of a firecracker residue on Monday to check if it was a conventional or a green cracker. The Delhi Police on Thursday booked an east Delhi resident for allegedly bursting firecrackers. The Supreme Court had on October 23 banned bursting crackers and allowed only green crackers between 8pm and 10pm on Diwali.
Even though the laboratory claims that it can tell if a firecracker is hazardous or not by checking its chemical composition, it may not be able to establish if a cracker is green or not since they are only in an experimental stage and are yet to be commercially manufactured.
Experts also pointed out there is only one laboratory in India which can check emission levels of a cracker.
People bursting firecrackers can be booked under Section 188, which entails a maximum imprisonment of six months.
“We are yet to receive the sample collected by the police. There is a dedicated explosive unit in the chemistry division of our forensic lab where explosives are tested. Though our lab is not equipped to check the emission levels of a firecracker, but by testing its chemical composition we can certainly confirm whether if falls under harmful category or not,” said Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, spokesperson and assistant director of crime scene management division of FSL, Rohini.
However, it would still not be enough to establish whether the cracker was green or not.
“First of all we (forensic experts) should know what a green cracker is, who is manufacturing it, and its chemical composition. We can give our opinion only when we test one such firecracker. But I don’t think green cracker is available in the market,” said Sri Narain, assistant director of FSL’s chemistry division.
The FSL’s explosive unit has two teams, each comprising three forensic experts. But as the city police are expecting to receive bulk complaints, the FSL officials said they are preparing to handle the situation.
NEW DELHI: