Nagaland Forensic Science Association (NFSA) has appealed to the state government to recruit more staff for the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) Nagaland. In a press note, the association asserted that urgent attention and development was required in the field of forensics, saying it was a matter of priority today to tackle increasing crime rates.
NFSA stated that a proposal for creation of nine Scientific posts for FSL was published in local dailies on September 27, 2018 and accordingly the department submitted the Draft Service Rules in between 2018-2019. However, NFSA laminated that even after more than five years, there was still no advertisement released for those said posts.
It stated that FSL Nagaland was set up in 1982 with only Fingerprint and Photography Divisions at Razaphe Village, Dimapur, which was later shifted to the new three storey building at Kachari Goan, Dimapur in September 2018 with additional five new departments created. However, NFSA said so far there had been no recruitments.
The association expressed dismay that there was no advertisement of the said posts in the recently released NPSC-CTSE vacancies affecting the eligibility age of the aspirants.
Therefore, the association has urged the state government and responsible authorities to take up the issue at the earliest.
Citing the recent development in the field of forensic science in neighbouring states like Manipur and Mizoram, the NFSA stated that their forensic science laboratory had a total of 15 Scientific/Technical staff. It said that Tripura has 26 technical staffs, six scientific officers, six scientific assistants in three District Mobile Forensic. Besides, NFSA said that recently Sikkim and Tripura Forensic Science Laboratory recruitment of scientific officer was announced through respective state public service commission.
NFSA also reminded the state government that Union Home Minister Amit Shah on October 8, 2022, during a meeting with chief ministers, chief secretaries and DGPs of all North Eastern States, said that every state should have one fully functional FSL and that the Government of India was ready to give financial assistant of 50% towards that endeavour.Stating that forensic was one of the three legs of Justice Delivery System, the association has, therefore, urged the state government and Centre to process more recruitments of technical staff to make the FSL fully functional so that the state could effectively take up and examine all the present and future crime cases within the state.
Meanwhile, NFSA has lauded home minister Y Patton and DGP Nagaland Rupin Sharma, under whose initiatives three Mobile Forensic Vans were flagged off on May 1, 2023, which it said was a crucial and much needed preliminary step for proper scientific investigation of crimes.
The association said it visited DGP in the month of March and discussed the capabilities of mobile forensic van to assist in the preliminary investigation. NFSA expressed gratitude to the DGP for addressing the concerns and issues raised by the association to him and for tirelessly working for the upliftment of the state.
