Shah pushes for foolproof, evidence-based criminal justice system
Kolkata: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday lauded the role of forensic science in cracking cases and said the Centre has plans to spend Rs 2,800 crore for the modernisation of forensic infrastructure in the country.
Shah said the Centre would spend Rs 1,300 crore to set up nine more campuses of NSFU and another Rs 860 crore to establish seven more CFSLs in Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Kerala and Bihar.
The Home Minister, who inaugurated a new building of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Rajarhat on the outskirts of Kolkata, said the modernisation of the forensic infrastructure would help the country to establish a foolproof, evidence-based criminal justice system.
“We are planning to bring about a Rs 2,080 crore project for more modernisation of forensic science facilities, and another Rs 200 crore to set up a national forensic data centre where we will be able to store a huge pool of data, and that could be analysed through AI (artificial intelligence)… This will make the process of entering into a foolproof, evidence-based criminal justice system much smoother,” he said.
Shah, who was speaking at the inauguration programme of the CFSL said it will help in taking a holistic approach towards the investigation of complex cases in eastern and northeastern states.
He said the inauguration marks a significant milestone in the Centre’s long-standing efforts to build a secure, transparent and evidence-driven criminal justice system.
The Home Minister also noted the impact of recent criminal law reforms and said that after the introduction of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), “In 60 per cent of cases, we have witnessed chargesheets being filed within 60 days.”
Shah launched a blistering attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of “stooping low” by opposing Operation Sindoor and the Waqf amendment bill to appease the Muslim vote bank, and alleged that the Murshidabad riots were “state-sponsored”.
Addressing party leaders and workers in Kolkata, Shah gave a clarion call to uproot the “TMC government of appeasement politics and oppression against Hindus” from power in the 2026 assembly elections in the state.
“The tenure of Mamata Banerjee as the CM will end in 2026. The BJP will uproot this government in the next elections. To appease the Muslim vote bank, Mamata didi opposed Operation Sindoor. You have not only opposed the military operation, but you have also humiliated crores of mothers and sisters,” Shah claimed.
The Home Minister said he has come to West Bengal to “appeal to the women of the state and explain the value of ‘sindoor’ (vermilion) to those who are against Operation Sindoor in the next elections”.
Shah claimed that women of West Bengal would teach Banerjee and her party a lesson in 2026 for opposing the military strike.
Banerjee had recently accused the Centre of politicising Operation Sindoor for electoral gains.
Responding to the allegation, Shah said, “During previous regimes in which Mamata didi was also a central minister, no steps were taken to deal firmly with terror attacks. But PM Narendra Modi took firm measures against terror attacks. Mamata didi has a problem with it.”
For the sake of her vote bank, Mamata didi has “crossed all limits of stooping low”, he alleged.
“Pakistan-backed terrorists killed our innocent citizens in front of their families after asking them about their religion. Operation Sindoor was carried out to punish these terrorists. The headquarters of the terrorists were destroyed by entering Pakistan. However, Mamata didi was pained over the death of these terrorists. She opposed Operation Sindoor by issuing a cheap political statement,” he claimed.
Shah asserted that the Centre had launched a “deep strike 100 km into Pakistan, targeting terrorist headquarters”.
“Numerous terrorists were killed, but this seems to trouble Mamata ji. By doing so, you are not only opposed to the mission but also disregard the sentiments and emotions of the women of our country,” he alleged.
Referring to the killing of tourists from the state in the Pahalgam attack, Shah claimed, “When tourists from West Bengal were also killed in the assault, Mamata didi remained silent, but now she is having problems with Operation Sindoor.”