Former BHU VC and Father of DNA Fingerprinting Passes Away at 70

He was the man behind many institutes and laboratories like the Centre For DNA Fingerprinting & Diagnostics in 1995.

Father of DNA fingerprinting in India, Lalji Singh (centre).

(Photo: Twitter)

Former BHU Vice Chancellor and DNA scientist Professor Lalji Singh passed away on Sunday, 10 December 2017, at the age of 70. Singh was the vice chancellor of BHU from August 2011 to August 2014.

Lalji Singh is often considered the father of Indian DNA fingerprinting thanks to his work in the area of molecular basis of sex determination, wildlife conservation, forensics and evolution and migration of humans.

According to OP Upadhyay, chief medical superintendent of SSL hospital of BHU, Singh had visited his village in Jaunpur district in UP and while going to Delhi, he complained of complications at the LBS International Airport in Varanasi and was immediately rushed to the trauma centre of BHU, the Times of India reported.

All preparations to handle his case had already been made prior to his arrival at the BHU trauma centre, but he could not be saved, he might have died due to a cardiac arrest.

OP Upadhyay, Chief Medical Superintendent, SSL Hospital to <i>Times of India</i>

Lalji Singh served as the vice chancellor of the Banaras Hindu University from 2011 to 2014.(Photo: Twitter)

Lalji Singh was the man behind many institutes and laboratories in India like the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics in 1995, Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) and Genome Foundation in 2004, that was set up with the idea to treat genetic disorders affecting Indians, particularly the underprivileged.

He had served as the 25th VC of the Banaras Hindu University and was the chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT (BHU) Varanasi during his three-year-tenure as VC. He was the director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) from 1998 to 2009 before being appointed as BHU VC and was an officer on special duty in the Centre For DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) in Hyderabad from 1995 to 1999.

Lalji Singh was also honoured with the Padma Shri award in 2004 in recognition of his contributions to Indian science and technology.

(With inputs from the Times of India)

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