Kohima municipal council urges Nagaland CM to intervene as forensic gaps undermine justice system

The Association of Kohima Municipal Wards Council (AKMWC) has issued a strong appeal to Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, warning that the continued lack of functional forensic science capacity in the state has reached a crisis point and is gravely undermining criminal investigations, justice delivery and public confidence in the system. 

In a press statement issued on January 22, the body, which represents all 19 wards and 44 colonies of Kohima, said forensic capability in Nagaland is “no longer optional” and requires immediate, personal intervention by the Chief Minister.

Highlighting repeated representations made to the state government, AKMWC recalled that it had formally written to the Home Commissioner on October 29, 2025, with copies to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, flagging critical gaps in forensic response. The association said these concerns were also carried by local dailies in the interest of public accountability, yet no substantive corrective action has followed.

Citing two grave incidents in Kohima, the state capital, AKMWC pointed to serious delays in forensic response that it said compromised investigations. On September 24, 2025, a police constable was found dead from a gunshot injury at the Lerie helipad early in the morning, but forensic investigators arrived only late in the afternoon, leaving the crime scene exposed for several crucial hours. Barely a month later, on October 25, 2025, after the brutal murder of a young woman at Old Ministers’ Hill Colony, police were informed at around 7 am but forensic personnel had to be mobilised from Dimapur and reached the scene only after 2 pm. The association stressed that both incidents occurred in accessible locations within the state capital, not in remote areas.

AKMWC said such delays directly undermined the integrity of investigations, violated basic principles of criminal justice and amounted to human rights violations against victims and their families. It attributed the situation to the absence of any functional forensic unit in Kohima and chronic staffing failures at the Forensic Science Laboratory in Dimapur.

The association also questioned the effectiveness of the much-publicised “upgraded” Forensic Science Laboratory inaugurated in Dimapur in September 2018. Despite claims of creating nine scientific posts, AKMWC alleged that not a single regular Scientific Officer or Scientific Assistant has been recruited to date. Nearly eight years later, the laboratory continues to function with deputed personnel, while key forensic divisions remain crippled or non-functional and expensive equipment lies idle due to lack of trained operators.

Calling this a case of “administrative apathy and institutional failure,” AKMWC pointed out that Nagaland has qualified forensic professionals, including diploma holders and PhD scholars, many of whom are forced to work outside the state or have become overage, even as publicly funded equipment deteriorates unused. The association said the situation has been repeatedly documented by the Naga Forensic Science Association and highlighted in the local press.

The statement also flagged statutory urgency following the enforcement of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which mandates forensic involvement in serious offences punishable with seven years or more. AKMWC said Nagaland currently lacks the trained manpower and institutional capacity to meet this legal requirement, forcing reliance on other states, which leads to delays, risks evidence contamination and increases the possibility of miscarriage of justice.

Raising further concern, AKMWC said Kohima, despite being the administrative and judicial headquarters, has no functional forensic facility of its own. Serious crimes in the capital depend on delayed responses from Dimapur, sometimes arriving half a day later. The association questioned how many crime scenes may have been compromised and how many offenders may have benefited due to the absence of timely forensic intervention, adding that mobile forensic vans cannot substitute a properly staffed laboratory.

Referring to the ₹97 lakh heist at the Kohima Municipal Council office in June 2025, AKMWC said the case unravelled into a series of thefts exceeding ₹1.5 crore only after custodial confessions, rather than proactive forensic linkage. Despite the availability of CCTV footage and transactional data, the association noted that multiple crimes across colleges, private premises, showrooms and government offices were not connected in time, raising concerns about how many cases may have gone undetected due to lack of forensic capability.

The association also cited a January 4, 2026 report by Aakashvani News in which Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced a ₹30,000 crore nationwide investment to build a forensic network by 2029. While welcoming the move, AKMWC stressed that Nagaland cannot afford to wait that long, warning that continued delays will allow serious offenders to evade justice and leave victims without closure.

AKMWC has called upon the Chief Minister to direct time-bound measures, including immediate full operationalisation of the Dimapur Forensic Science Laboratory through expedited recruitment, establishment or revival of a functional forensic laboratory in Kohima with dedicated scientific staff, institutionalisation of district-level forensic response, and strict accountability timelines for the Home Department to ensure compliance with statutory forensic requirements. The association said it remains committed to advocating for strengthened forensic capacity as a core requirement for credible policing and justice delivery in Nagaland.