Compulsory retirement to ex-FSL head for false PETN report

The Uttar Pradesh government today gave compulsory retirement to a suspended director of the state Forensic Science Laboratory for his "misleading" report which held that the suspicious substance recovered from the assembly on July 12 was highly explosive PETN.
"Former director of the state Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) Shyam Bihari Upadhyay has been compulsorily retired today after the competent authority approved the recommendation of the screening committee," Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said.
Scientific officer FSL Raghavendra Yadav has also been given compulsory retirement.
The UP government had suspended Upadhyay on September 4 for allegedly giving a "wrong, misleading, incomplete and unconfirmed" report about the substance recovered in the state Assembly, the principal secretary said.

"Upadhyay got the substance examined and in his report it was said to be PETN positive. When the NIA got it tested from CFSL, Hyderabad, it was found to be Silicon Oxide (Quartz) and not the dangerous explosive," Kumar had said.
Kumar had said that Upadhyay was suspended for allegedly getting the substance tested using an explosive detection kit whose usage date had expired in March 2016 itself.

Another charge against him was that substance was tested by a person who was not an expert in the field.
There were also complaints against Upadhyay pertaining to irregularities during his tenure as the acting director of a laboratory in Patna from February 28, 2008, to August 20, 2012.

It was on the basis of this report that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had told the House that the powdery substance recovered had been found to be explosive PETN and a NIA probe was ordered.
An FIR was lodged under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Hazratganj police station.
The "white powder" was found wrapped in a paper close to the seat of Leader of the Opposition Ram Govind Choudhary by the cleaning staff on July 12 morning hours before the House met for the day.
The powder weighing 150 grams was sent for FSL examination, which suggested that it was plastic explosive PETN (Pentaerythritol tetranitrate), the chief minister had said.

PETN is a dangerous plastic explosives and has been used in terror attacks as the colourless crystals can surpass security checks.