IN FOCUS
Shaping future sleuths
Jangveer Singh

Punjabi University, Patiala, is truly creating forensic scientists of tomorrow with its postgraduate course in Forensic Science now incorporating futuristic techniques like audio-video identification, wildlife forensics and DNA profiling.

The university is already offering specialised training in Forensic Biology and Serology, Forensic Chemistry and Toxicology and Questioned Documents and Fingerprints Examination in the second year of its course, which was started in 1974.

Students can also take up Ph.D degrees in the department. A large number of girls have also started pursuing this subject, with many of them planning to become consultants later. Fourteen to 16 seats are available through an entrance test every year, says department head Dr M.N. Sharma. "There is more awareness about this subject now", says Dr Sharma and adds that the job opportunities in the field have also increased in the last decade or so.

Field wide open

"Earlier, our students could take up jobs mainly in the Central and State level Forensic
Laboratories. Now, the field has become much more wide and forensic experts are much in demand as legal experts and openings also being created in the Police, Customs and Excise and Taxation Departments", says Dr Sharma. The department head feels that the legal profession woke up to the need for forensic experts in a big way in the last about one decade. "The overall conviction rate is roughly four per cent, mainly because we do not rely on scientific methods of investigation", he says, adding things were now changing slightly due to more forensic experts investigating crimes and probing cases of fake documents and signatures.

Upcoming branches

Among the emerging specialisations in this field is Wildlife Forensics, which concerns itself with training to identify the hide of endangered species. This can include identifying and examining ‘shahtoosh’ shawls. Besides, students can also learn about Computer Forensics and even Brain Finger Printing, branches that are likely to have an impact on our lives in the near future.

Correspondence course mooted

The university has also moved a proposal to start a one-year certificate course in the subject through correspondence. If okayed, it will become the second varsity after Annamalai University to offer this subject through correspondence. The course has been designed for students from both the Science and Arts streams. A one-year diploma has also been designed for in-service persons, particularly those from the legal and insurance sectors. This diploma course will be designed to cater to arts students also, particularly lawyers.

The future of Forensic Science as a subject is also bright. It has been recently given recognition as an optional subject for appearing in the PCS executive and judiciary examinations and in the test for the post of DSP. Moves are afoot to get it accepted as an optional subject for the UPSC examination also.