AKMWC urges CM to fix Nagaland’s forensic shortfall

The Association of Kohima Municipal Wards Council (AKMWC), representing 19 wards and 44 colonies, has urged the chief minister to personally intervene to address what it described as Nagaland’s chronic and “indefensible” forensic science deficiencies, warning that delays in forensic response are severely undermining investigations, justice delivery, and public trust.
AKMWC president Thejao Sekhose and general secretary Hukato Chishi, in an appeal to the CM, recalled that a representation dated October 29, 2025 had already drawn the home commissioner’s attention to critical gaps in forensic response and capacity, with copies endorsed to the chief secretary and director general of police.
The concerns were also reported in local dailies in the interest of public awareness and accountability.
Highlighting repeated delays in Kohima, AKMWC cited the September 24, 2025 death of a police constable at Lerie Helipad, where forensic teams arrived only in the late afternoon, leaving the scene exposed for hours.
A month later, the October 25, 2025 murder of a young woman at Old Ministers’ Hill Colony saw a similar delay, with forensic personnel mobilised from Dimapur and reaching after 2 p.m., despite both incidents occurring within the State capital.
In both cases, families and the public faced prolonged distress due to the absence of a functional forensic unit in Kohima and chronic staff shortages at the Dimapur Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).
Such delays, AKMWC said, compromised investigations and exposed systemic failure in the State’s forensic infrastructure.
Despite the widely publicised 2018 inauguration of an upgraded FSL at Dimapur and nine sanctioned scientific posts, AKMWC said not a single regular scientific officer or assistant has been recruited.
Nearly eight years on, the laboratory continues to rely on deputed personnel, while key divisions remain crippled and expensive equipment lies unused for want of qualified operators.
The council said this paralysis persists despite the availability of qualified Naga forensic professionals—from diploma holders to PhDs—many forced to work outside the State or pushed beyond age limits.
It termed the situation a case of administrative apathy and institutional failure, resulting in delayed investigations, denial of forensic support to the justice system, lost employment opportunities for youth, and continued waste of public funds.
AKMWC noted that the issue has acquired statutory urgency with the enforcement of the BNSS, which mandates forensic involvement at crime scenes for serious offences punishable with seven years or more. Nagaland currently lacks the manpower and institutional capacity to meet this requirement, it said, adding that reliance on sending exhibits to other States leads to delays and risks evidence degradation and contamination.
The absence of any functional forensic facility in Kohima, the administrative and judicial headquarters, is particularly alarming, AKMWC said. Serious crimes in the capital often await forensic response from Dimapur hours later, while mobile forensic vans cannot replace a properly staffed laboratory. Without on-site capacity, investigations begin at a disadvantage and public confidence erodes.
Citing the June 2025 Rs.97 lakh heist at the Kohima Municipal Council office—later linked to thefts exceeding Rs.1.5 crore—AKMWC said offences were not connected in time despite CCTV and transactional data, highlighting the cost of weak forensic capacity.
Referring to national developments, AKMWC noted that on January 4, 2026, Aakashvani News reported Union Home Minister Amit Shah announcing a Rs.30,000 crore investment to build a nationwide forensic network by 2029. While acknowledging that forensic capability is now a national priority, the council stressed that Nagaland cannot afford to wait until 2029 as delayed forensic response has already allowed serious offenders to evade detection, denying justice to victims.
AKMWC therefore urged immediate operationalisation of the Dimapur FSL through expedited recruitment, establishment of a functional facility in Kohima, district-level forensic response, and fixed accountability timelines for the Home department. AKMWC reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening forensic capacity as essential for credible policing and justice delivery.