The UP state government, on Monday, suspended Dr Shyam Bihari Upadhyay, Director of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Lucknow for providing incorrect and misleading information about the substance found in the UP assembly, two months back.
Arvind Kumar, Principle Secretary (Home) stated from a report that he received on Saturday that the substance found in the UP assembly was Silicon Oxide (Quartz) and not Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN).
Dr Upadhyay has been suspended under several charges. The tests which were conducted by Dr Upadhyay were done using outdated explosive detection kits. Also, he has been charged for misleading senior officials of government as to what the substance was.
Two months ago, UP CM Yogi Adityanath had claimed that the mysterious white substance found in the UP assembly was an explosive material called PETN. Currently, the National Investigative Agency (NIA) is conducting the Investigation and looking into the allegations raised against Dr Upadhyay.
The mysterious white substance had been recovered from the UP Assembly on 13 July.
The Principal Secretary has asked Hitesh Awasthy, Director General of Vigilance to look into the inquiry and the charges levelled against Dr Shyam Upadhyay. NIA said that the investigation is still pending and under the process.
(#TalkingStalking: Have you ever been stalked? Share your experience with The Quint and inspire others to shatter the silence surrounding stalking. Send your stories to editor@thequint.com or WhatsApp @ +919999008335.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)