Rising People’s Party (RPP) has appealed to the state government to establish an independent forensic sciences directorate in Nagaland.
In a representation addressed to the state chief minister, RPP president Joel Naga asserted that the case of recent brutal murder of a woman, whose body was found in a forested area at Pimla, remained unresolved due to delays in forensic analysis.
RPP said it was “a grim reminder” of how the absence of a robust, independent forensic system jeopardized justice.
The party claimed that Nagaland’s Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), established in 1982 and later relocated to Kachari Goan, Dimapur in 2018, remained “critically understaffed and ill-equipped.”
Despite assurances and creation of nine posts of FSL, RPP said no scientific personnel have been recruited, leaving the lab dependent on police personnel. In light of the above, RPP has proposed establishing an autonomous directorate of forensic science lab and research, staffed by NPSC-recruited scientists and subject-matter specialists, ensuring scientific independence and credibility.
The party also proposed expediting the recruitment of forensic experts through NPSC without delay. Besides, RPP also suggested expanding FSL capabilities to include DNA analysis, toxicology, and digital forensics, utilizing the Ministry of Home Affairs’ offer of funding support for modernization.
It maintained that Pimla case was not an isolated incident but “a symptom of systemic neglect” spanning four decades. “Every delayed report, every outsourced analysis, and every compromised piece of evidence erodes public trust and denies justice to victims,” RPP added. Therefore, the party sought the chief minister’s immediate intervention to transform Nagaland’s forensic capabilities, ensuring compliance with BNSS 2024.