Nine more FSLs will be made functional in the next one to two-year time frame: Bihar DGP

Underlining the increasing role of scientific investigation in criminal cases, Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) Vinay Kumar on Tuesday (April 7, 2026) said that the State currently has four functional regional Forensic Science Laboratories (FSLs). At the same time, nine more such FSLs will be made fully functional in the next one to two-year time frame. 

“At present, four FSL are functional in the State. They are located at Patna, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur and Rajgir [Bihar Police Academy]. The buildings of nine other regional FSL are ready. Besides, appointments of 102 Assistant Directors and Senior Scientific Assistants have also been completed. We are confident nine more such FSLs will be made fully functional in the next one to two-year time frame,” Mr. Kumar said.

DGP Kumar was speaking at a two-day “Satellite Conference on Biological Sciences” organised by State Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), CID, Patna in collaboration with Directorate of Forensic Science Services (DFSS), Union Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi. 

The conference was being held at Police Headquarters Sardar Patel Bhawan in the State capital, where national and international domain experts, scientists from all the State FSLs, Central FSL and other experts have gathered to participate in the workshop. 

S.K. Jain, Director-cum-Chief Forensic Scientist, Directorate of Forensic Science Services (DFSS), New Delhi, G.K. Goswami, Director, Uttar Pradesh Institute of Forensic Science, Parasnath, Additional Director General of Police, CID and Hinjay Kumar, Director, Forensic Science Laboratory, Patna, were present. 

The role of scientific investigation has increased significantly following the passage of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) which mandates for offences punishable by seven years or more imprisonment, the officer-in-charge must ensure a forensic expert visit the crime scene to collect evidence, Mr. Kumar said while asserting that the State has witnessed development of forensic infrastructure on a large scale in the State especially in past two decades.

“We could facilitate the FSL services in barely 700-800 cases in 2012-13, but now we are giving FSL services in 18,000 cases. There has been massive development of forensic infrastructure in the state,” he said and added that the Cyber Forensic Laboratory (CFL) will be set up in the state.

Stating that the pendency of DNA testing has been increasing in the State, Mr. Kumar said that it has been made mandatory to carry out DNA testing in Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) cases, and there is only one DNA laboratory centre in the State, which is not able to cater to the requirements. 

“I would urge the DFSS to extend its support to the State police in setting up three to four DNA laboratories in the State. The DFSS could provide financial support either from Nirbhaya fund or it’s any other fund,” Mr. Kumar said. 

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed for establishing the campus of National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), the DGP said and added that the process of site selection is currently underway.

Besides, an MOU has also been signed with NFSU for setting up one each CFL at Patna and Rajgir.

At the outset of his address, Mr. Kumar dwelt at length on the history of how forensic science developed in Bihar, which played a leading role in the field. He talked about how forensic science has developed right from anthropometry days to establishing the world’s first fingerprint bureau in Kolkata in 1897 and then FSL at Patna. 

The State’s FSL was set up in 1963 at a sprawling campus of 7.5 acres on which police headquarters, Sardar Patel Bhawan, has been built now, he said.

Directorate of Forensic Science Services (DFSS), New Delhi, Director-cum-Chief Forensic Scientist S.K. Jain said that there are seven Central FSLs in the country, and eight new CFSLs will be set up in the country very soon.

Published – April 08, 2026 11:08 am IST