The Rising Peoples’ Party (RPP) in a memorandum appealed to Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, has called for the immediate establishment of an independent Directorate of Forensic Sciences in the state, citing the “dire state of forensic science infrastructure” and the “pressing need for systemic reforms.”
The party pointed to the recent “brutal murder of a woman in Pimla,” which it said “remains unresolved due to delays in forensic analysis,” as a “grim reminder of how the absence of a robust, independent forensic system jeopardizes justice.” The RPP warned that with evidence at risk of “degradation or contamination during transit,” and investigations stalled due to “reliance on overburdened external labs,” the situation demands urgent attention.
Highlighting the condition of Nagaland’s Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), the RPP stated that although it was established in 1982 and later relocated to Kachari Goan, Dimapur in 2018, it “remains critically understaffed and ill-equipped.” The party recalled that despite assurances and the creation of “9 (nine) posts of FSL vide letter No.POL.-15/2/PR/81 Dated 7th December 2017,” no scientific personnel have been recruited.
According to the representation, the lab is still “dependent on police personnel—often untrained in forensic methodologies—to handle sensitive evidence,” a situation the party described as undermining “the credibility of investigations” and violating the spirit of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2024, which mandates forensic evidence for crimes punishable by seven or more years.
The RPP also raised concerns about the current structure where the FSL operates under the Police Department, saying it “raises concerns about impartiality and scientific independence.” The party emphasized that forensic science “must be free from administrative constraints and led by qualified experts—not police officers or short-term/Crash course/Diploma trained personnel.”
Referring to the Union Home Ministry’s 2022 directive for states to modernize their forensic science laboratories, the party stated, “It is disheartening that while other states have progressed, Nagaland’s forensic infrastructure remains stagnant.” It added that this stagnation persists “despite having a pool of NET/FACT/PhD-qualified professionals eager to serve.”