Police get defamed for no action or extreme action: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister on Sunday said that police get defamed due to either “no action” or “extreme action”.

“I often say that police get defamed due to two reasons — one is no action, and the second is extreme action. No action is not right as indolence cannot rectify the law and order system. And extreme is also not correct as it triggers a reaction. Both are bad, and that is why just action is required… the (forensic) institute will help in this direction,” Shah said after laying the foundation of the UP State Institute of Forensic Sciences in Lucknow.

“When Narendra Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat, a first-of-its-kind forensic science institute was set up in Gandhinagar, which was later converted into National Forensic Science University. The institute in Lucknow will be affiliated with it. Around Rs 200 crore will be spent and Rs 15 crore has been sanctioned for setting up a DNA centre, which will be the most modern in the country. Around 150 students will graduate from here every year and around 350 faculty will be there,” he added.

“Today, policing is not confined to what was imagined 20 years ago, be it counterfeit notes, narcotics, narco-terror, cybercrime or cow smuggling. The day is not far when every district in UP will have a mobile forensic van, and there will be regional FSLs (forensic sciences laboratories),” he said.

The government will work towards making utilisation of FSL compulsory for conviction in crimes carrying punishment of more than 6 years, he said.

“Though law and order is a state subject, the Centre is taking some initiatives so that the law and order of the country can be strengthened. Many colleges in the country are going to start after taking affiliation from the National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar. By 2024, half of the states in the country will have forensic science colleges,” he said.

Highlighting the low rate of conviction in the country, Shah said, “The rate of conviction in the country is very low. India is lagging behind, and the main reason is lack of professional education.”

He said forensic sciences university will help in conviction, leading to punishment. “When there will be punishment…the crime rate will automatically come down,” he added.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the institute is being constructed on a section of the 142 acres of land freed from a land mafia. He added that properties worth around Rs 1,584 crore have been seized from gangsters and mafias during his rule.

With PTI Inputs