Srinagar, April 3 :
Srinagar, April 3:
A forensic team from two of India's premier laboratories today collected fresh DNA samples from the exhumed remains of 'terrorists' killed at Pathribal in March 2000 and their relatives to match them.
Dr A.K. Sharma from Calcutta's DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics Laboratory led the four-member team. Dr G.V. Rao of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Hyderabad was also part of the forensic team that flew in here on the invitation of the state government.
The army and police had killed five persons who were allegedly 'foreign terrorists' responsible for the massacre of 35 Sikhs at Chattisinghpora in March 2000.
To ensure it was foolproof, the entire exercise of collecting samples took place in the presence of senior police and government officials, including senior superintendent of police, Anantnag, Ghulam Hassan Bhat, who is the chief investigator of the case.
The relatives of the five persons killed also accompanied the team and identified the
graves.
'My Allah exposed the state government. I have full faith in Him. The government had attempted to fudge the samples to save those involved in the killing of my son and four others,' said Raja Bano, mother of Zahoor Dal, one of the men killed at Pathribal.
Earlier, a media exposé on the fudging of DNA samples had forced the government to suspend Dr Balbir Kaur, head of forensic medicine department of Government Medical College, and six others who were assigned to collect samples from the relatives.
The government then requested forensic experts from the two laboratories to depute teams to collect fresh
samples.
The team collected DNA samples from the relatives on Monday and Tuesday and left for Calcutta today.
'The state government failed to give me justice. My only hope is these persons who have come from Calcutta. I hope they will conduct the tests honestly. They won't disappoint me,' Raja Bano said.





