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Genetic variations among humans occur both within and among populations and range from single nucleotide changes to multiple-nucleotide variants. These multiple-nucleotide variants are useful for studying the relationships among individuals or various population groups. The study of human genetic variations can help scientists understand how different population groups are biologically related to one another. Sequence analysis of hypervariable regions of human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been successfully used for the genetic characterization of different population groups for forensic purposes. It is well established that different ethnic or population groups differ significantly in their mtDNA distributions. In the last decade, very little research has been conducted on mtDNA variations in the Indian population, although such data would be useful for elucidating the history of human population expansion across the world. Moreover, forensic studies on mtDNA variations in the Indian subcontinent are also scarce, particularly in the northern part of India. In this report, variations in the hypervariable regions of mtDNA were analyzed in the Yadav population of Haryana. Different molecular diversity indices were computed. Further, the obtained haplotypes were classified into different haplogroups and the phylogenetic relationship between different haplogroups was inferred.

Investigating drowning‐related deaths remains a significant problem for forensic personnel all over the world. The previously published decomposition scoring method like the total aquatic decomposition (TAD) score promises to estimate the correct post‐mortem submersion interval (PMSI) in aquatic habitats through the assessment and calculation of the decomposition rate and accumulated degree days (ADD). The current study comprised of 53 drowned death cases belonging to various districts of Haryana from May 2016 to August 2017. The regression and Pearson's correlation indicated a significant correlation between the TAD scores and the actual ADD (calculated through water temperatures) (r2 = 0.917) and between the actual and the estimated ADDs (calculated through TAD scores used by Heaton et al. [21]) (r = 0.9585). The results indicated that the estimated ADD tends to over predict the PMSI compared to the actual ADD. It is further confirmed by paired t‐test, which showed the mean of actual ADD (mean = 349) to be significantly lower than the mean of estimated ADD (mean = 663). Moreover, these methods will help forensic investigators and researchers formulate region‐specific regression equations for PMSI estimation.

Most often the newspapers and bulletin come out with voluminous cases of deaths due to drowning. At the same time an ample section of such cases encompass entomological evidences, that can be scrutinized as a very useful parameter in estimating post mortem interval (PMI). This research database is an outcome of a 2 years reflective study, based on an assessment of records related to human deaths due to drowning. The drowned bodies from various districts of Haryana are sent to PGIMS (Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences), Rohtak. The study took the data of year 2015–2016 into consideration. All the cases were reviewed and summarized in terms of monthly occurrence of total cases, age differentiation, gender differentiation and month wise occurrence of entomological evidences on the dead bodies through detailed study of post mortem findings. This data will lead to an insight into the magnitude of drowning deaths in Haryana along with the usage of entomological data for determining Post Mortem Submersion Intervals (PMSI).