Bhubaneswar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will lay the foundation stone for the permanent campus of the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in Bhubaneswar and attend the 57th Raising Day ceremony of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) during his two-day visit to Odisha.
Shah is scheduled to arrive in Bhubaneswar Thursday evening. On Friday, he will attend the CISF Raising Day ceremony as chief guest in Cuttack’s Munduli.
He will also perform the ‘bhumi pujan’ for the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), which will come up alongside the NFSU campus in Bhubaneswar. The permanent NFSU campus will be built on 40 acres of land allocated by the Odisha government and is expected to function as a centre of excellence in forensic and allied sciences.
The home minister will virtually inaugurate the NFSU transit campus in Bhubaneswar. The temporary campus will begin operations with three academic programmes: M.Sc. in forensic science, M.Sc. in digital forensics and information security, and LL.M. in cyber law and cybercrime investigation, officials said.
Shah will also inaugurate a three-day ‘Nyaya Sanhita Exhibition’ organised by Odisha Police to create awareness about the new criminal laws. The event will be held in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
Director General of Police Y.B. Khurania said the exhibition aims to familiarise citizens with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, which replaced the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and Indian Evidence Act on July 1, 2024.
The exhibition will remain open to the public from March 7 to March 10.
During the programme, Shah will virtually inaugurate 20 new cyber police stations and flag off a mobile forensic van. He will also inaugurate police station buildings and other infrastructure projects aimed at strengthening policing under initiatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Memorandums of understanding will also be signed with the Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar, and Rashtriya Raksha University, according to an official statement.
Khurania said conviction rates have improved since the new criminal laws came into effect and expressed hope that the trend would continue. He said the new laws place special emphasis on crimes against women and children.
The DGP said more than 5,000 missing women and children were rescued during a special drive in January. He added that steps have been taken to strengthen forensic laboratories in the state with additional manpower and modern equipment.
He also referred to ongoing enforcement drives, including ‘Operation Cyber Kavach’ against cyber fraud and action against illegal transport of narcotic substances.