Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone of the Guwahati campus of National Forensic Science University (NFSU) during his day-long visit to Assam. He also unveiled an app called Assam Police Seva Setu which will facilitate a hassle free online registration of FIR.
In his address, Mr Shah termed the day as an important one for the criminal justice system of Assam as well as the entire North East. He said that the Guwahati campus will be the country’s 10th such campus. Mr Shah appreciated the State Government for giving 50 acres of land to the University. The Centre, he said, will invest ₹ 300 crore on the NFSU which will have graduation and postgraduation courses with an intake of 3,500 students.
The Home Minister said that NFSU is the only specialised forensic science university in the world. He drove home the point that beginning this year, students from the region need not go to other parts of the country to pursue their education in forensic science.
He also informed the gathering that the Government of India is going to make radical changes in IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act to synchronise them to the spirit of India’s Constitution and to increase the conviction ratio. “The Government is going to make the visit of forensic experts mandatory in all crimes punishable for more than six years. This will lead to creation of job opportunities for forensic science students across the country,” he said.
Shah added that there is huge demand for experts in this emerging field of forensic science across the globe. He said that NFSU has a 100% placement record.
He expressed optimism that the NFSU will help students from countries like Myanmar Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia to come and study. He said that through MoUs with Governments in many countries, NFSU is not only providing online and offline training to officials for the use of forensics in police and judicial processes but also to private industries. It has hitherto trained police officers and forensic scientists from more than 70 countries and has signed over 170 agreements with national and international organisations. Shah said that the Guwahati campus of NFSU is a perfect university in true sense. “Here, along with courses such as cyber security, digital forensic, artificial intelligence, DNA forensics, food forensics, environmental forensics and agricultural forensics, arrangements will be made for double graduation.” He informed the gathering that from this academic year, five faculties will start five academic courses which will be expanded to 40 courses in due course.
The Union Home Minister said that conviction rate in Assam has increased from 5% to 14% in Assam whereas the ideal figure is 85% which, he said, is possible through the use of forensic science.
Shah said that a four-pronged strategy has been chalked out to increase the conviction rate in Assam. It includes, strengthening the infrastructure of forensics, upgrading, and modernising the State-level forensic labs; building regional forensic labs, ensuring that the mobile forensic laboratories are operational at the district level to collect evidence from the crime scene, and grooming of manpower as forensic experts.
He congratulated the Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma for enthusing the police in the State.
Speaking on the occasion, the Assam Chief Minister termed the setting up of the NFSU as an achievement for Assam and its people. He said that all efforts will be made to transform the university into a centre of excellence.
Dr. Sarma said once the NFSU becomes operational, it will give an added thrust to forensic sciences and its use for the betterment of mankind.
“It will also help in expediting the criminal justice delivery system. In the last two years, the security scenario in Assam has improved considerably and the decreasing number of cases registered in police stations across the State are an indication. With improved investigation procedures and chargesheet filing, the situation will improve,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that in the year 2021 crime rate in Assam was 384 per lakh citizens. which, in 2023, came down to 215. “With the establishment of NFSU, the conviction rate will also increase along with an improved criminal justice delivery system in the State,” he said.
On this occasion, the Assam Government inked an MoU with the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) with Principal Secretary, Home and Political Department, Government of Assam, Niraj Verma and Vice Chancellor NFSU Dr. J M Vyas signing it.
The NFSU will be set up at Molong in Changsari in Kamrup district.
Synchronizing with the occasion, Mr Shah released a book Analysis on Judicial Approach on Forensic Evidence written by Dr Vyas.
