Thanks to Nagaland Post for necessarily highlighting the importance of Nagaland Forensic Science Laboratory(NFSL) in its publication. Following which the Nagaland Forensic Science Association(NFSA) has lucidly emphasized the indispensability of NFSL. As much arms are indispensable for Police to enforce law over the land, so also the said laboratory is no less important to the State of Nagaland as the laboratory proof becomes indispensable for almost every criminal case.
The State of Nagaland has attained 59 years of its Statehood in 2022, and in its 59th year we are talking about a standing building at Kacharigaon, Dimapur being erected for that laboratory purpose which does not have any infrastructure. The building itself never becomes a laboratory till it is equipped with all the basic requisite equipments including qualified staff to operate it. Nagaland is going to be 60 years soon, and we are struggling for want of a small compact scientific laboratory. Yet, whether the Home Department in particular has the sense of being embarrassed for its miserable failure, becomes humble to climb down from its pride and see the reasons so highlighted in the public domain by the sensible few?
By my experience, the GoI remained financially stingy till India could enjoy the fruit of the Economic Liberalization after 2003. Indeed, the present Govt. though ruled the State with few different nomenclatures, has been enjoying the fat of the generosity of GoI post Economic Liberalization. During the last 19 years, the GoI has pumped so much money into Nagaland beginning with the former PM Vajpayi’s special grant of Rs.365 crores for the purpose of clearing the backlog in memory of his visit to Kohima in October, 2003. If at all the concerned authority had the rational sense of necessity for creating assets for the State, such laboratory would have been established without hassle. Yet, we have the habit of deciding to ignore such basic matters by which we remain the parasite.
A 59 year old Nagaland has been remaining dependent on Assam or West Bengal, etc. for forensic proofs whenever any criminal case crops up in Nagaland. Such proof is not done by any laboratory free of cost but with fee, I am sure. Perhaps the rate of testing fee vary from case to case. I do not have any evidence, and yet will it be wrong for one to assume that the task in question used to be handled as a business by those responsible people? Had it been in the interest of the vested individuals that the establishment of the FSL being kept stalled for decades for the sheer reason that once it is setup the coercive business will meet its end? It is no more a surprise if any bizarre takes place in Christian dominated land.
It is difficult to have faith on Nagaland Govt. that it would have the wisdom to discern the importance of at least one state-of–the-art FSL in Nagaland for delivery of justice on time. The major hitch at the very moment perhaps will be the financial constrain in view of creating Districts in a huff.
Whereas, neither the Nagaland Forensic Science Association, probably comprised of the forensic science graduates, may not serve ultimatum to State Govt. for the laboratory beside what was already highlighted once in the local papers by them nor will there be any creditable organization speak for it. Beside, the FSL will be capital intensive if a genuine laboratory is to be setup with the state-of-the-art equipments and to be manned by qualified manpower. Whereas, the recipients of the new Districts may go on dictating their terms on the Govt. in respect of providing the paraphernalia. Under such circumstance, the importance of the laboratory will become the dreg in the liquid container.
If at all the rational sense prevails and in one fine day the Govt. decides to have a Forensic Science Laboratory, either a namesake laboratory or a laboratory worth its name may be established. In respect of pseudo laboratory, as history repeats itself, Nagaland has sufficient instances of having set up Health Centers in rural areas without providing even the basic minimum staff, schools were opened without posting teachers, administrative centers were established without administrators, (even today how many EAC HQs are without EACs for decades), Veterinary outposts were set up but allowed to rot and vanish without providing staff, etc. In the same fashion, the FSL in question will face the same fate if a) inferior and namesake laboratory equipments with costs as expensive as for the genuine equipments are procured while eyeing for bigger kickbacks, and b) out of manipulation when unqualified staff who do not possess forensic education are recruited in the face of ism-pressure on the post vacancies so created. It will be almost impossible for the UDA Govt. to keep the predators at bay from undue interferences. And when the predators are allowed, the proposed laboratory will become a damp squib. In such case it will be as bad as we do not have it.
When we establish such laboratory as FSL, it is highly scientific and technical. I believe the accuracy of the tested result of anything depends on the quality of the equipments and the supervision of the qualified technicians.
It is therefore imperative that as and when the State sets up such laboratory, it must not compromise the set standard in respect of both the recruitment of the staff as well as the procurement of the equipments so as to have a dependable and durable asset in the interest of the State of Nagaland.
Z. Lohe
