Tirath Das Dogra
Tirath Das Dogra is an Indian forensic pathologist and former Pro-Chancellor and vice-chancellor of SGT University, Budhera Gurgaon Haryana 2013–2017. He is a former director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi and an authority on forensic medicine. Dogra been member of the Medical Council of India from December 2013 till its dissolution in September 2018. Dogra have been President of National Medicos Organisation Delhi State from 2012 to 2017. Dogra was member of TEQ-Equivalence Committee and Administration and Grievance committee of Medical Council of India. He is member of Advisory committee on MOOC's program of University Grants Commission of India New Delhi. Presently he is emeritus professor of forensic medicine and forensic sciences, professor of Andragogy and educational philosophy and Advidsor, Internal Quality Assurance Cell at SGT University Gurgaon.
Dogra held a number of positions during his tenure at AIIMS, including dean, deputy director, chair of the management board of AIIMS Hospitals, hostel superintendent and professor. He joined AIIMS as a resident in 1971, becoming a faculty member in 1977. Following the retirement of Jagdish Chandra on 30 June 1987, Dogra headed the department of forensic medicine and toxicology at AIIMS until his retirement on 31 July 2012.
Early life
He was born to Prem Nath Dogra and Gayano Devi Dogra at Badi Brahmana, near Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir, British India, 20 kilometres from Jammu on the Basantar River. After the partition of India in 1947 his father moved to Bikaner in 1959; he settled there permanently in 1961. Dogra completed Badridas Vidavatji ka Middle School Sikar and Matric in 1963 and attended M M High School Bikaner from 1959 to 1963. After a year at Dungar College Bikaner, he received a degree in medicine from Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner.Career
Dogra received the first MD degree in forensic medicine from AIIMS in 1976. His areas of interest have been DNA profiling, population genetics, residual, environmental and pesticide toxicity, bioethics, pharmacovigilance, continuing medical education, suicide prevention and notes, forensic psychiatry crime-scene reconstruction. and Forensic animation He has been involved in medico-legal investigations of high-profile cases throughout India.Dogra has presented his medico-legal opinion in cases concerning to three prime ministers: Indira Gandhi, Charan Singh and Rajiv Gandhi. He deposed as a medical witness in the Mahesh Chandra Trial Court for Indira Gandhi's assassination for the prosecution.
Although the defence challenged Dogra's testimony, the evidence was upheld by the Supreme Court. In the Batla House encounter case, he used animation to present his expert opinion. Dogra went to Sri Lanka as part of a three-member Government of India team to assist the investigation of the assassination of Gamini Dissanayake, a presidential candidate. He worked with Seyed E. Hasnain, Sher Ali of NII and Anupum Raina on DNA profiling, with Sanjeev Lalwani and Chitranjan Behera assisting him with forensics. After his retirement from AIIMS, Dogra became director-general of the SGT Group of Institutions and vice-chancellor when it became a university on 15 March 2013.
Notable cases
Dogra's forensic investigations include:| Case | Location | Year |
| Gitanjali death case | Gurgaon, Haryana | 2013 |
| Nithari killings | Noida, Uttar Pradesh | 2007 |
| Ishrat Jahan encounter case | Ahmedabad, Gujrat | 2004 |
| Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter | Gujrat | 2005 |
| Tulsi Prajapati encounter | Gujrat | 2005 |
| Godhra Violence, Bilkis Bano case | Godhra, Gujrat | 2002 |
| Batla House encounter case | Batla House, Delhi | 2008 |
| Uttar Pradesh NRHM scam case | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | 2011 |
| Nigamananda Saraswati of Rishikesh | Rishikesh, Uttrakhand | 2011 |
| Ashutosh Asthana of Provident Fund Scam | Ghaziabad, U.P. | 2009 |
| Kavita Chaudhry case | Meerut, U.P. | 2007 |
| Kunal suicide | Mumbai, Maharashtra | 2008 |
| Nirupama Pathak death | Kodarma, Jharkhand | 2010 |
| Ansal Plaza encounter | New Delhi | 2002 |
| Shehla Masood case of Bhopal | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh | 2012 |
| 2009 Shopian rape and murder case | Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir | 2009 |
| Sadiq Batcha case | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | 2011 |
| Bhanwari Devi | Rajasthan | 2012 |
| Bhanwari Devi case | Jaipur, Rajasthan | 1992 |
| Harsh Baljee murder | Shimla, Himachal Pradesh | 1999 |
| Cherukuri Rajkumar | Adilabad, Andhra Pradesh | 2010 |
| Pipli gang-rape case | Pipli, Odisha | 2012 |
| Natasha Singh case reconstruction | New Delhi | 2002 |
| Dara Singh encounter | Jaipur, Rajasthan | 2002 |
| Ishmeet Singh death in Maldives | Maldives | 2008 |
| Nitish Katara murder case | New Delhi | 2002 |
| R. K. Gupta murder | Delhi, Gurgaon | 2003 |
| Prathyusha death case | Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh | 2002 |
| Consultation with CBI prosecutors in Priyadarshini Mattoo Delhi case | Delhi | 1996 |
| Consultation with CBI prosecutors in Ahmedabad Haren Pandya murder | Ahmedabad, Gujrat | 2003 |
| Arushi Talwar murder | Noida, Uttar Pradesh | 2008 |
| Sidhartha Continental Hotel fire | New Delhi | 1986 |
| Lajpat Nagar bombing | New Delhi | 1996 |
| Uphar cinema fire | New Delhi | 1997 |
| Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision | Charkhi Dadri, Haryana | 1996 |
| 29 October 2005 Delhi bombings | New Delhi | 2005 |
| Jnaneswari Express train derailment | West Bengal | 2012 |
| Alleged Bhandara rape-murder | Bhandara, Maharashtra | 2012 |
| Shruti Bhagvat case | Auragabad, Maharashtra | 2013 |
| M. G. Rusia death case | Agra, Uttar Pradesh | 2009 |
His medico-legal cases include:
| Case | Location | Year |
| Assassination of Indira Gandhi | New Delhi | 1984 |
| Suicide of Kishan Chand | New Delhi | 1977 |
| Assassination of Jatherdar Stonkh Singh | New Delhi | 1985 |
| Jagdev Singh Khudian suicide | Khudian, Punjab | 1990 |
| Tandoor murder | New Delhi | 1995 |
| Shilpi Jain and Gautam Singh death case | Patna, Bihar | 1999 |
| Madhavrao Sindhia air crash | Mainpuri, Uttar Pradessh | 2001 |
| Murder of Satyendra Dubey | Gaya, Bihar | 2003 |
| Death of Shri Shanmugam | Tamil Nadu | 1991 |
| Assassination of Arjun Das | New Delhi | 1985 |
| Autopsy of Hans Christian Ostro | Jammu Kashmir | 1995 |
| Khairlanji massacre | Bhandara, Maharashtra | 2006 |
| Death of Bibek Maitra | New Delhi | 2006 |
| Rahul Mahajan drug-overdose case | New Delhi | 2006 |
| Bibi Jagir Kaur murder | Patiala, Punjab | 2006 |
| Murder of Amir Singh | Meham, Haryana | 1990 |
| Dalip Singh murder case | Jaipur, Rajasthan | 1970 |
| Kiliroor sex scandal | Kochi, Kerala | 2006 |
| Pratul Deb Murder | Gowhati Assam | 2005 |
Awards
The Society of Toxicology gave Dogra a Distinguished Scientist Lifetime Achievement Award in Toxicology, and he received a Distinguished Service Award from the Geriatric Society of India. He delivered the Professor G. Mehdi Oration at the 27th annual national conference of the Indian Academy of Forensic Medicine at North Bengal Medical College in Siliguri, West Bengal on 17 February 2006. Dogra delivered the Professor Jagdish Chandra Oration Award at the12th national conference of the Indian Congress of Forensic Medicine
and Toxicology on 27 September 2013 at the Government Medical College in Haldwani, Uttarakhand. Indian Congress of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology gave "Life time achievement award" to Prof Dogra on 13 September 2014.
AIIMS
During Dogra's tenure as director AIIMS acquired of land in the Jajhar District of Haryana, and the recommendations of the Moily Committee were implemented. One hundred sixty faculty and 1200 other staff positions were created, a new academic building was planned and the CDER and JPNA Apex Trauma Center were made fully functional. An agreement with Metro was signed for a tunnel connecting AIIMS and the trauma centre. A surgical centre, maternity centre, dormitories, outpatient department and a urology centre were planned. A new developmental plan integrated with the earlier prepared Master plan was prepared and architectural process was started for its implementation. The long pending clearance from Ministry of civil aviation and urban development for construction of multistory buildings was obtained to facilitate future development of AIIMS in regard to hospital, academics, research, residential and hostels. Manmohan Singh underwent coronary-bypass Surgery at AIIMS, and Pratibha Patil underwent cataract surgery on both eyes. Dogra managed AIIMS during the most troubled times in its history; he is active in organ donation, retrieval and tracking, framing and revising rules and implementing training programs at the AIIMS Organ Retrieval Banking Organization. After succeeding Jagdish Chandra, Dogra developed DNA-profiling and toxicology laboratories. He expanded the department to ten faculty members, two scientists, twelve junior and twelve senior residents.DNA laboratory
Dogra started DNA facility at department of forensic medicine AIIMS, in Feb 1991 with recruiting of Anupuma Raina as PhD student and G. Bomjen as MD student both taking DNA profiling related thesis topics, Dogra as Chief Guide and Dr S Hasnain of NII New Delhi as co-guide. First criminal case solved by DNA from Delhi was in 1992. The integrity and hard work of its in-charge Dr Anupuma raina gave this laboratory reliability and popularity with investigating agencies.Medical Toxicology Laboratory
Dr Dogra developed Medical Toxicological laboratory in the department of forensic medicine and toxicology in 1987. It was the first laboratory in a medical college where it was aimed to carry out analysis of samples for clinical and forensic purposes. The analytical toxicologist late H C Srivastava worked hard to get a reputation that the honourable courts ordered the tests to be conducted in this laboratory. The laboratory was well equipped with TLC, HPTLC, HPLC, GLC, Voltammetry, Atomic Absorption spectrometry etc. It worked in close collaboration with CFSL, CBI Delhi, FSL Rohini Delhi and JPN NICFS Rohini Delhi,Crime scene reconstruction
Dogra was engaged in crime scene reconstruction in a variety of cases throughout the length and breadth of the country. He reconstructed the cases pertaining to fall from a height, railway accident, traffic accidents, firearm injuries, bomb blast, asphyxial deaths etc. He examined about 2000 scene of crimes in different states of India.Dogra's test
He evolved a simple technique to identify old suspected bullet hit marks by lifting the impression using a moldable putty which neither damaged nor made it unfit for further examination of suspected firearm bullet hit marks. More than 2-year-old marks were detected by Professor Dogra at many scenes of occurrences; that is why people started calling it as a Dogra's test.Forensic animation
During the last decade of his career, he started using animation to explain his finding or observations. He tried it in Batla house encounter, Heren Pandya case,, he also attempted in Ishrat Jehan case but he could not make it in 3D animation as desired.Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology
Dogra in 1990 while forensic investigations of the death of Jathedar Jagdev Singh Khudian MP of Akali Dal, first time in collaboration with Psychiatrist and Clinical Psychologist analysed the Psychological status of deceased by getting filled a proforma developed for this purpose from his friends and family. Subsequently, he applied it in many cases, including the psychological profiling of the accused persons of 2006 Noida serial murders.Mass grave exhumation and Forensic anthropometry and anatomy
Dogra carried out numbers of exhumations in various states of India. He exhumed mass graves in Gujrat following 2002 communal riots and recovered large numbers of skeletal remains, the anthropometric & anatomical examination and DNA profiling established Identity of many of missing individuals. He always encouraged a collaborative approach in such situation. Dogra used Anthropometric and anatomical examination in variety of cases from different part of country including Bhanwari Devi & 2006 Noida serial murders.Publications and research
Dogra edited Lyon’s Medical Jurisprudence for India, co-authored Practical Aspects of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology and has published more than 200 papers in national and international journals. He has guided more than 50 MD and PhD thesis projects, and supervised or co-supervised research funded by BPR&D, DST, ICAR and WHO. Dogra has been an editorial member or peer reviewer of a number of national and international journals, and has written for the popular press. He is the founder of the Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology and Indian Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology. Dogra founded the Indian Congress of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, He organised numerous conferences, workshops and seminars, and has delivered guest lectures, inaugural and valedictory talks on a variety of topics.Committees, consultation and visiting positions
Dogra has been a member of a number of committees constituted by the Government of India, State Governments and AIIMS: the Advisory Committee on Prison Reform ; the member Central Insecticide Board ; the member Registration Committee for Insecticides ; RAP and SAC of the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics and the Subcommittee on Medicolegal Services in Delhi. He has consulted with the Central Bureau of Investigation, courts, state Crime Branch CIDs, the National Commission for Human Rights, the National Commission for Women and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.Dogra has been a visiting faculty member at the LNJP National Institute of Criminalistics and Forensic Sciences, the Police Training School, the Judicial Academy, the Karkardooma Court, the Judicial Academy, the Sardar Patel Academy of Police, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie, U.P., the Academy of Administration and Management, CBI Academy, the National Academy of Customs Excise and Narcotics, HIPA, Haryana Institute of Public Administration and the Institute of Road Traffic Education in Faridabad.
Dogra established and developed the department of forensic medicine at B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan, Nepal, a joint venture of the governments of India and Nepal. He has interacted with internationally known forensics experts such as Keith Simpson, Keith Mant, T. K. Marshal, D. J. Ghee, Alec Jeffreys, Michael S Pollanen, Stephen M. Cordner, Henry Lee and Derrick J. Pounder.