Bhubaneswar: The Jharsuguda JMFC court today permitted the Crime Branch to conduct narco analysis and polygraph tests of Gopal Krishna Das, the prime accused in former Health Minister Naba Das murder case.
Here is all you need to know what narco analysis test and polygraph test are?
In the narco test, a drug called Sodium Pentothal (Thiopentone) is injected into the person, which puts him/her in a ‘hypnotic state’. It lowers a person’s self-consciousness and he/she starts speaking freely without any inhibitions.
The team conducting this test in India has an anesthesiologist, a psychiatrist, a clinical/forensic psychologist, an audio-videographer, and supporting nursing staff.
During the test, investigating officers are present. The interrogation process starts after the person is administered the injection.
The dosage depends on the person’s age, gender, and medical conditions. The wrong dosage can result in an individual’s death or coma. Sodium Pentothal neutralizes imagination in the subject and he/she gives genuine answers.
However, experts are of the opinion that the test is not 100 per cent precise. There have been instances where the subjects have dodged the investigators by giving inaccurate answers.
Similarly, a polygraph test is also known as a lie detector test. In this test, devices, including cardio-cuffs and sensitive electrodes, are attached to the person being tested.
The instruments measure and record blood pressure, blood flow, pulse, respiration, breathing rhythms, skin conductivity, perspiration and arm and leg movement while he/she is asked specific questions.
Deceptive answers (or when a person is lying) trigger physiological responses that are different from when he/she is stating the true facts. The changes in the person’s body, his/her breathing pattern, and heart rate are monitored by the investigators.
The narco analysis test is believed to be more effective than the polygraph test since, in the former, the person is in a sub-conscious state and there are more chances of them stating the truth.
The consent for both these tests has to be compulsorily recorded before the judicial magistrate.
