Jagjit Puri's book pays a tribute to his father who was known as 'Indian Sherlock Holmes'

Jupinderjit Singh

Long before forensic science got recognition as a serious discipline, a certain KS Puri earned the moniker of ‘Indian Sherlock Holmes’ for his exploits in the field of forensic investigation.

Such was his reputation that his house, Puri Lodge in Patiala, became the go-to address for seeking help regarding forensic investigations by the police and government departments in India and foreign countries, both before and after Independence.

In ‘Dewan KS Puri — Indian Sherlock’, his son Jagjit Puri, a retired IAS officer, narrates the journey of this remarkable man who carried the family name to new heights. The book highlights his contributions in the field of criminology, with specialisation in document examination and forgery detection.

Besides being a son’s tribute, it also provides a peep into the days of yore.

The family had a high standing in princely states. One of the forefathers, Raja Dila Ram Puri, served as ‘commander-in-chief of the Kasur kingdom’. An uncle, Dewan Sham Singh Puri, is documented in the Congress inquiry report for advising Lt Governor Michael O’ Dwyer against firing at the protesters in Jallianwala Bagh in 1919, but his counsel was ignored.

Born in 1917, Dewan KS Puri was just 19 when the Kota state police recognised him as the state consulting expert in forensic science.

Jagjit Puri writes: “Crime detection stories haunted him. He started learning on his own from lawyers, police officials and initially from Shashi Bhushan Dhawan of Jagadhri too. Later, he learnt the techniques from the government handwriting bureau at Calcutta, and similar departments at Madras, Trivandrum and Phillaur in Punjab.” Seven of his articles were published by Interpol.

It was not an easy journey for Dewan KS Puri. The man who would play a pivotal role in the inception of the Department of Forensic Sciences at Punjabi University, Patiala, had to face scepticism.

Jagjit Puri writes, “In the 1930s, archaic crime-fighting methods relied on hunches and weak circumstantial evidence, leading to many criminals going scot-free. Puri emerged as India’s first unique scientist.”

Despite initial cynicism and being labelled as a quack, he astounded both police and judicial officials with his results and logical explanations.

During his remarkable 60-year career, Dewan KS Puri solved over 55,000 cases, nearly 1,000 every year. His schedule was so demanding that courts, from subordinate to the Supreme Court, set up dates at his convenience.

The book has plenty of anecdotes related to his style of working and the professional acumen he displayed.

Perhaps one of the best tributes came from Justice SS Sandhawalia in 1976, “The credentials of Dewan KS Puri as a document expert for the past 41 years appear to be beyond challenge.”