Ground Report | DNA test and identification process: Wayanad families still picking up pieces

In the aftermath of the devastating landslide that struck Wayanad in Kerala in July, the search for the missing and the identification of the deceased had become a complex and emotional task for the authorities and families alike.

Here is another Ground Report from Wayanad

Lijo Joseph, an employee of Harrison Malayalam tea plantations, was in his official quarters that day when disaster struck Mundakkai and Chooralmala. His home, near the high school road in Chooralmala, was one of the first to be hit.

DNA testing helps Lijo

His parents, Joseph Thekkilakkattil and Leelamma, were in the house but neither of their bodies could be recovered intact. In the last week of August, a DNA test confirmed a match between Lijo and his father’s remains, which had been buried in two separate graves in Puthumala.

After a long and painful wait, the process of DNA identification brought a measure of clarity to Lijo and his family. DNA testing confirmed his identity, allowing for the exhumation of the father’s remains from two graves for a proper burial at the St. Sebastian Church Cemetery at Chooralmala.

Joseph became the first victim to be exhumed and reinterred following the identification process, which had been initiated by the Kerala government to bring closure to grieving families.

Went by church advice

“We had been waiting a long time for the identification of my parents. My father’s DNA result came a couple of weeks ago, but we were still hoping for my mom’s as well. I provided the DNA sample for my father while my aunt and her sister gave the sample for my mom. We haven’t received a match for her yet.

“As the church and elders suggested, we should give my father a proper burial before the 41st day as per tradition. So, we decided to exhume him and lay him to rest at the church cemetery,” Lijo Joseph told The Federal.

The story of Thekkilakkattil Joseph is emblematic of the broader tragedy that unfolded in Wayanad. His identification and subsequent burial were not just personal milestones for his family but also part of a larger narrative of resilience and recovery in the face of overwhelming loss.

A semblance of closure

Joseph’s family, along with others, awaited the results with a mix of hope and despair. The emotional toll of the disaster was palpable as families grappled with the uncertainty of their loved ones’ fate.

For many, the identification process offered a semblance of closure, even as it highlighted the profound loss that they had experienced.

Shruthi, 22, an accountant at the MIMS Hospital in Kozhikode, lost her entire immediate family: her father, Sivannan; her mother Sabitha, a former member of the Meppadi Panchayat (2015-20); and her sister, Sreya, 19, a degree student. She also lost nine extended family members including grandparents, aunts and uncles.

“We managed to get back and cremate the bodies of my sister and father earlier. My mother was still missing until the DNA test confirmed that she is buried in grave C-92 in Puthumala.

“I’m unsure if I should exhume her to be laid to rest with dad and Sreya. I might need more time to decide,” Shruthi told The Federal in a numb tone. She now lives with her cousins at her uncle’s place near Kalpetta town.

Some don’t want to exhume

Although other victims had also been identified through DNA testing, their families seem to have chosen not to exhume the bodies, perhaps due to religious reasons or finding comfort in the collective grief and support of the mass burial site.

“People have become numb, their emotions drained. Some have been heard saying without feeling, ‘I found my father in five graves,’ while others remark, ‘I’m lucky my loved one is only in three.’ After the DNA tests, it was revealed that a five-year-old girl was buried in six graves,” said Mammootty Anchukunnu, a social worker based in Wayanad.

“I have lost 10 extended family members. Three were recovered, and another four were identified through DNA tests. But we are leaving them in their graves, as our belief dictates. As they have received honours according to every religion after death. I like to believe they are now blessed,” said 37-year-old Abdul Majid, in tears.

An Islamic fatwa

The Darul Huda Islamic University Fatwa Council issued a religious edict clarifying that it was undesirable to exhume a body or body part under any circumstances. The fatwa stated that it was prohibited to reopen a grave, even if the purpose was to gather all body parts together. It emphasized that exhumation is more disrespectful to the deceased than leaving them buried in separate graves.

“Say goodbye to the body and pray for the deceased -- this is what we should do,” the fatwa advised, addressing the faithful in Islam.

The mass funeral services during the first week of August were a solemn blend of interfaith rituals, beginning with prayers from different religious traditions.

Mass multi-religious rituals

Each victim was laid to rest with Hindu rituals, where sacred chants were recited, and offerings were made according to custom. This was followed by Christian rites, where priests offered blessings and conducted the traditional last rites. The ceremonies concluded with Islamic prayers, as the community gathered to pray for the souls of the departed, in line with their faith.

The identification effort involved rigorous DNA profiling, with samples collected from both the deceased and their living relatives. A total of 401 samples, including both intact bodies and dismembered remains, were subjected to DNA analysis at the Kannur Forensic Science Laboratory.

Forensic challenges

This process was crucial as many of the bodies were severely decomposed, complicating identification efforts. The forensic team faced significant challenges.

Some samples were too degraded for immediate identification, necessitating advanced methods to extract usable DNA. The identification of 36 victims was achieved through meticulous matching of DNA profiles, revealing the tragic reality that multiple body parts often belonged to a single individual.

This complexity pointed finger to the difficulties faced in open disaster scenarios, where the sheer number of victims and the condition of remains create a daunting task for forensic experts.

Collective grief and counselling

The Kerala government established a systematic approach to the identification process, assigning unique identification numbers to each body and body part. This method ensured that families could eventually locate the graves of their loved ones, providing a dignified resting place amidst the chaos that followed the landslide.