TINA SHARMA* AND JUHI RAI
Department of Forensic Science, Chandigarh University, Gharuan-140 413 (Chandigarh), India
*(e-mail : sharmatina1989@gmail.com; Mobile : 85668 42214)
(Received : February 25, 2022; Accepted : March 12, 2022)
ABSTRACT
Diatoms are regarded as valuable evidence to correlate the cause of death. In the present study, 17
water samples were collected from different sites of Gomti river ghats of Lucknow and Jaunpur district.
On the basis of this examination, different genera were identified in which diatom genera like Bacillaria,
Cyclotella, Navicula, Cymbella and Nitzschia were found to be common among all sites tested. The
frequency distributions of diatoms in winters were found to be more prevalent as compared to summer
samples. The diatom genera like Melosira, Clonies, Nupela Ropolodio, Chateceros and Entomonesis
were found to be site-specific. The data would be valuable for the site characterization by comparison of
diatoms between the water sample of drowning site and the viscera of corpse recovered.
Key words : Forensic sciences, drowning cases, diatoms, microscopic techniques, forensic botany