Tirath Das Dogra

Tirath Das Dogra
Tirath Das Dogra
Born	(1947-07-18)18 July 1947 Bhoi Brahmana (near Zafarwal, Shakargarh, British India)
Nationality	Indian
Education	MBBS (1971), MD (Forensic Medicine 1976)
Alma mater	Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner, All India Institute of Medical Sciences
Employer	SGT University, Budhera, Gurgaon
Known for	Medical jurisprudence, forensic pathology, forensic medicine, toxicology
Notable work	Director AIIMS (2007-2009), preceded by Prof. P. Venugopal Succeeded by Prof. R C Deka, President of AIIMS New Delhi, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss.
Religion	Hinduism / Saraswat Brahmin

Tirath Das Dogra (Hindi: तीरथ दास डोगरा, born 18 July 1947) is an Indian forensic pathologist, Former vice-chancellor of SGT University, Budhera Gurgaon Haryana 2013-2015. He is a former director of the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi and^[1] an authority on forensic medicine.^[2][3][4] Dogra became a member of the Medical Council of India on 5 December 2013.^[5] Dogra is President of National Medicos Organisation Delhi State since 2012.^[6] Dogra is also member of TEQ-Equivalence Committee of Medical Council of India.^[7] Presently Dogra is the Pro Chancellor of SGT University Gurgaon.

Positions

Dogra held a number of positions during his tenure at AIIMS, including dean (exam), deputy director (administration), 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.^[8][9]

Early life

He was born to Prem Nath Dogra and Gayano Devi Dogra at Bhoi Brahmana, near Zafarwal, Punjab (British India), 40 kilometres from Jammu on the Basantar River (the present border with Pakistan). During the partition of India in 1947 his father moved to Sikar and 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 1959–63. After a year at Dungar College Bikaner, he received a degree in medicine from Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner.^[10][11][12]

Career

Dogra received the first MD degree in forensic medicine from AIIMS in 1976.^[13] His areas of interest have been DNA profiling, population genetics,^[14] residual, environmental and pesticide toxicity,^[15] bioethics,^[16][17] pharmacovigilance,^[18] continuing medical education,^[19] suicide prevention and notes,^[20] forensic psychiatry (psychological profiling)^[21] crime-scene reconstruction.^[22] and Forensic animation^[23] He has been involved in medico-legal investigations of high-profile cases throughout India.^[8]

Dogra has presented his medico-legal opinion in cases concerning to three prime ministers: Indira Gandhi, Charan Singh and Rajiv Gandhi.^[24][25] He deposed as a medical witness in the Mahesh Chandra Trial Court for Indira Gandhi's assassination for the prosecution.^{[26] [27]} Although the defense (P. N. Lekhi,^[28] R S Sodhi^[29] and Ram Jethmalani^[30]) 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.^[31] 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.^[32][33] 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:

His medico-legal cases include:

Dogra in rural Gujarat

Dogra with Anupuma Raina, senior scientist at FSL Madhuban, Karnal

Dogra with team at accident scene near Agra: Rajinder Singh, Sanjeev and Anupuma Raina

Awards

Dogra remained aloof and never applied or consented to be nominated for any award. However, the Indian Society of Toxicology gave Dogra a Distinguished Scientist Lifetime Achievement Award in Toxicology,^[89] and he received a Distinguished Service Award from the Geriatric Society of India.^[90] 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 the 12th national conference of the Indian Congress of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology on 27 September 2013 at the Government Medical College in Haldwani, Uttarakhand.^[91] 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 330 acres (130 ha) of land^[92][93] in the Jajhar District of Haryana, and the recommendations of the Moily Committee^[94] were implemented. One hundred sixty faculty and 1200 other staff positions were created, a new academic building was planned^[95] and the CDER and JPNA Apex Trauma Center^[96] was improved. An agreement with Metro was signed for a tunnel connecting AIIMS and the trauma centre.^[97] A surgical centre, maternity centre, dormitories, outpatient department and a urology centre were planned.^[98][99] 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.^[98][99] Manmohan Singh underwent coronary-bypass Surgery at AIIMS,^[100] and Pratibha Patil underwent cataract surgery on both eyes.^[101] Dogra managed AIIMS during the most troubled times in its history;^[102] he is active in organ donation, retrieval and tracking, framing and revising rules and implementing training programs at the AIIMS Organ Retrieval Banking Organization.^[103][104] 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.

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.^[33][105] 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^[106] and Indian Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology.^[107] Dogra founded the Indian Congress of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology,^[108] organised conferences, workshops and seminars, and has delivered guest lectures, inaugural and valedictory talks on a variety of topics.^{[8][105][109]}

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 (BPR&D);^[110] the member (Medical Toxicology)Central Insecticide Board (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare); the member (Medical Toxicology) Registration Committee for Insecticides (Ministry of Agriculture); RAP and SAC (Research Analysis Panel and Scientific Advisory Committee) of the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) 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,^[111] 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 (Delhi), the Karkardooma Court (Shahdara), the Judicial Academy (Nanital, Uttrakhand), the Sardar Patel Academy of Police, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie, U.P., the Academy of Administration and Management (Nanital), CBI Academy (Ghaziabad), the National Academy of Customs Excise and Narcotics (NACEN) and the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) 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,^[112] Stephen M. Cordner,^[113] Henry Lee (forensic scientist) and Derrick J. Pounder.^[114]

Personal life

Dogra married Lalita Sharma from Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, in 1975. They have two children (Ankit and Aakanksha) and three grandchildren (Shaunak, Vanya and Arnayaa).

External links

• Researchgate
• Pubmed
• Google Scholar
• SGT University
• All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
• Publications on DNA Profiling
• AIIMS New Delhi

References