Amit Shah to lay foundation for NFSU campus in Bhubaneswar

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will lay the foundation for a campus of the National Forensic Sciences University in Bhubaneswar on Friday, besides inaugurating a three-day exhibition on the new criminal laws being organised by Odisha Police.

Shah, who is scheduled to reach Bhubaneswar on Thursday evening on a two-day visit to Odisha, will also attend the 57th Raising Day ceremony of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) as the chief guest on Friday, besides virtually inaugurating the transit campus of the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU).

The Home Minister will also perform a Bhumi Pujan of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) located alongside the NFSU campus in Bhubaneswar.

Odisha DGP YB Khurania said Shah is scheduled to inaugurate a three-day exhibition on the new criminal laws, organised by Odisha Police, on Friday. During the programme, Shah will also virtually inaugurate 20 new cyber police stations, the DGP said. According to an official statement issued in New Delhi, the home minister will also flag off a mobile forensic van on the occasion.

The Shah and the Minister of Cooperation will also virtually inaugurate many police station buildings aimed at strengthening police infrastructure under initiatives related to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

“He will also inaugurate CC and EO facilities in some police stations. In addition, MoUs will be signed with the Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar, and the Rashtriya Raksha University,” the statement said.

A permanent campus of the NFSU in Bhubaneswar will be built on 40 acres of land allocated by the Odisha government, which will be developed as a centre of excellence for forensic and allied sciences, officials said.

“The temporary campus of NFSU will begin operations with three specialised academic programmes – M.Sc forensic science, M.Sc digital forensics and information security, and LL.M in cyber law and cybercrime investigation,” the statement said.

The ‘Nyaya Sanhita Exhibition’, to be inaugurated by Shah in the presence of Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, aims to create awareness about India’s reforms in criminal laws and the transformation of the criminal justice system, the DGP told reporters.

It will help citizens understand the new criminal laws – the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) – which together represent the most comprehensive reform of criminal laws in Independent India, Khurania said.

These new laws, which came into effect on July 1, 2024, replaced the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Indian Evidence Act.

The exhibition will remain open to the public from March 7 to March 10.

“We have noticed an improvement in conviction rate every month after the new laws came into force. I hope the conviction rate will improve further in the coming days,” the DGP said.

The new criminal laws give special focus to dealing with crimes against women and children, the DGP said, noting that the police rescued more than 5,000 missing women and children during a special drive in January.

Police have taken steps to strengthen the forensic laboratories in Odisha with the deployment of additional manpower and modern equipment, the officer said.