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 The experts said the small crater, the absence of a sonic boom
before impact, a lack of debris and the green and blue color of rock
recovered from the scene suggest some other cause."It is highly
improbable, but we will only be absolutely sure after a chemical
analysis," said V. Adimurthy, a senior scientist at India's space
agency.The mysterious event has triggered an international debate
about whether a meteorite, space debris, leftover explosives or even
frozen waste from a plane passing overhead may have killed the
man.The meteorite attribution was announced this week by Chief
Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram, a former film star who is known for
her authoritarian style.A bus driver was killed by the meteorite at
an engineering college in the state, she said, and awarded a sum of
100,000 rupees ($1,470) in compensation to his family.
"A meteorite fell within the college premises," she said.
 Jayalalithaa has a cult-like following in her state, with her
pictures on prominent display in the offices of her party's
politicians, as a sign of their unquestioning loyalty. Since her
comments, state officials have been reluctant to discuss publicly
what happened.
A team of scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in
Bangalore arrived in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday to inspect the 2-metre
(6.56-ft) -wide crater and collect the recovered rock sample, which
is small enough to fit in a hand. G.C. Anupama, an astronomy
professor at the institute, said the probe would focus on the
chemicals in the debris, as meteorites have high iron levels. She
declined to comment whether she believed the debris was a
meteorite.C.B. Devgun, who has been tracking meteorites for the last
two decades, said the color of the rock and absence of other
particles ruled out a meteorite.
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"It cannot be a meteorite," he said. "It was a greenish color and no
other pieces of debris were found. Normally it would be a darkish
yellow or darkish black in color, just like burned coal, with a
slightly melted surface."
The last reported death from a meteorite strike was in 1825,
according to a list maintained by International Comet Quarterly, a
scientific journal.
In 2013, a meteorite that exploded over central Russia rained down
fireballs and caused a shock wave that smashed windows, damaged
buildings and injured 1,200 people.
(Editing by Douglas Busvine and Clarence Fernandez)
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