Explainer: District forensic labs to help save time, manpower, resources of Haryana cops
Forensic Science Laboratories (DFSLs) are being set up across districts to enhance efficiency and reduce the burden on the state’s central and regional forensic infrastructure. The rollout of the DFSLs will bring the forensic services closer to the point of investigation, ensuring faster and more accessible forensic support for the police.
What are the DFSLs and why are these being set up across the state?
District Forensic Science Laboratories (DFSLs) are being set up across districts in Haryana to decentralise the state’s forensic services. At present, forensic services are provided by the FSL, Madhuban, in Karnal, and regional FSLs in Hisar, Gurugram, Rohtak and Panchkula. These labs are considered as extensions of the FSL, Haryana. The aim behind setting up of these DFSLs is to strengthen forensic capabilities and reduce the workload of the Police Department.
What are the main benefits of setting up the DFSLs?
The main benefits of setting up the DFSLs are to save time, energy and manpower of the Police Department. Besides, it provides faster evidence handling, reducing delays in investigations, lowering workload of police officers, who no longer need to travel long distances to submit or collect forensic reports, enhanced security and integrity of forensic samples through barcoding and monitored storage, availability of services like cyber forensic analysis and voice sampling at the range level, expert forensic consultation to support complex investigations.
How will the DFSLs function?
The DFSLs will function as front desks for forensic evidence at the district level. All physical evidence and case materials collected by the police officers will be deposited at the local DFSL. From there, the trained DFSL staff will securely transfer the samples to the FSL, Madhuban, or regional labs, ensuring a transparent chain of custody through barcoded tracking.
What specific services will be available at the DFSLs?
Apart from the teams handling the crime scenes, which are already active at the district level, each DFSL will have the facility of collection and dispatching of evidence, securing storage with 24X7 surveillance to monitoring operations and evidence handling and consultation with forensic experts.
How is this different from the current forensic setup in Haryana?
At present, the police must travel to the FSL, Madhuban, or the regional FSLs, which are situated in other districts for forensic services, which is time-consuming and resource-intensive. Cyber forensics, for example, is available only in Panchkula. With the new DFSLs, many of these services will be available at the range level, saving time and improving turnaround for case analysis. Similarly, voice sample collection and matching will also be available at the range level.
How many DFSLs are being set up and what’s the timeline?
The project is being led by DGP Shatrujeet Kapur and Director-General (FSL) OP Singh, with active coordination from district police and forensic officials Dr Ajay Kumar, Deputy Director and Nodal Officer (scene of crime), the FSL, Haryana, across the state in two phases. In the first phase, 15 districts –Karnal, Faridabad, Panipat, Sonepat, Gurugram, Rohtak, Rewari, Nuh, Hisar, Jhajjar, Ambala, Panchkula, Kurukshetra, Sirsa and Jind. The land has been allotted for these labs and work is in progress, with Karnal’s DFSL partially operational on the first floor of the Civil Lines police station building. The remaining districts will be covered in the second phase.
How will the DFSLs help maintain the integrity of evidence?
To ensure security and transparency at the DFSL, all evidence will be barcoded and the chain of custody will be digitally tracked. The evidence storage and dispatch processes will be standardised under CCTV surveillance.
What impact will it have on the police and judicial process?
Faster forensic reports mean quicker case resolution, helping the police in solving crime more effectively. Courts will benefit from timely and accurate forensic evidence, improving the delivery of justice and reducing case backlogs.
What has been the response from district officials?
The officials such as Superintendent of Police, Karnal, Ganga Ram Punia welcomed the initiative, highlighting how it would save time, ensuring evidence security and reducing the workload on the police. The presence of specialised forensic staff at the district level is being seen as a game-changer in evidence management.
How does the FSL, Haryana, contribute to solving crime and ensuring justice?
The FSL, Haryana, plays an important role in helping the police solve crime using science. Whether it’s checking fingerprints, examining fake documents, analysing mobile phones or testing suspicious substances, the FSL uses modern tools to find the truth. The reports prepared by the FSL help the courts in taking fair decisions. Its experts also visit crime scenes to collect and test evidence. In short, the FSL ensures that justice is based on facts, not guesswork. With its accurate and timely work, the FSL, Haryana, supports law enforcement and helps make society safer place to live in and more law-abiding.
