MHA directs police to follow CFSL guidelines in rape investigations

CHANDIGARH : For effective follow-up in sexual assault cases against women and children, top police officials have been directed by the ministry of home affairs (MHA) to go by two sets of guidelines prepared by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Chandigarh. These are: Forensic Medical Examination in Sexual Assault Cases and Collection, Storage and Transportation of Crime Scene DNA Samples.

A letter from the ministry dated July 25 has asked director generals of police and police commissioners of all states and UTs to go by the rules framed by the CFSL and issued by the Directorate of Forensic Sciences Services (DFSS), a nodal organisation of the MHA.

Dr SK Jain, director, CFSL Chandigarh, said the guidelines had also been sent to the home secretaries of all states and UTs; director general, Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) and inspector general, women’s safety; for adherence.

As samples and evidence in rape cases are often mishandled, letting the perpetrators get away scot free, it is hoped that these exhaustive guidelines will effectively tackle crime in a time-bound manner with the aid of efficient analysis of forensic evidence.

Signed off by joint secretary, Women Safety, Punya Salila Srivastava, the letter states that a proposal to launch a National Mission for Safety of Women is also underway for undertaking action in cases of sexual assault in a time-bound manner.

As part of this project, criminal investigators, prosecutors and doctors will be imparted training with the participation of stakeholder ministries, departments and states and UTs.

BPR&D will conduct programmes for training of trainers (ToTs) of investigators and prosecutors.

The Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science will conduct similar programmes for doctors.

CFSL Chandigarh has also prepared kits with lists and other material for police investigators looking into rape cases. The Central Detective Training Institutes (CDTI) have also been roped in for training its officers.

ToTs will act as trainers and resource persons in every state and UT for investigating officers.

CDTI Chandigarh right now trains police personnel from Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh and Delhi. Similar CDTIs are located at Hyderabad, Kolkata, Jaipur and Ghaziabad.