Exploration of digital dermatoglyphics of two ethnicities of North India- forensic and anthropological aspects

Abstract Background and aim The unique and persistent nature of dermatoglyphic features serves as a valuable tool for the inclusion and exclusion of the suspect at a crime scene. Moreover, dermatoglyphic characteristics have been used to study variations in different population groups and ancestries by researchers. The aim is to enquire whether an individual can be identified as belonging to Rajput or Brahmin ancestry on the basis of digital dermatoglyphics. Besides, whether the digital dermatoglyphic features can be utilized for the identification of a living or dead. Methodology The study was conducted on 512 healthy young adults residing in Districts Shimla and Solan of Himachal Pradesh state of north India. The rolled and plain prints of the finger balls were taken on a specially designed ten fingerprint card. The manual analysis involved identification of the pattern types using Henry's classification. For the analysis, core, triradii, and type lines were marked on the print and further, the ridge counts and indices were calculated. Appropriate statistical tests such as Shapiro-Wilk test, Mann-Whitney U test, Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test and Simple Correspondence Analysis (CA) were applied to the data for achieving the aim of the study. Results and conclusion The most commonly occurring patterns are Loops followed by whorls, composites and finally arches in both the ethnic groups. Digit wise frequency is also reported in both the ethnic groups. The overall mean values of Furuhata’s Index, Dankmeijer’s Index, and Pattern Intensity Index are 140.85 and 155.20, 12.44 and 20.49, 13.74 and 13.64 for Rajputs and Brahmins respectively. All the three indices being calculated showed statistically insignificant (p > 0.05) differences for the Rajputs and Brahmins using Mann-Whitney U test Moreover, the Total Finger Ridge count and Absolute Finger Ridge count showed statistically significant bilateral differences (p