Mumbai's only forensic college in poor shape

MUMBAI: An RTI has revealed the deplorable state of forensic science education in the city's only college -- Institute of Forensic Science (IFS) -- at a time when the state has been rapped by the Bombay high court for filling up sensitive posts in laboratories with ad hoc appointees.
The IFS at Fort was created to groom science graduates in forensics and use it more effectively to solve crimes.The institute, though, seems to be running without any senior professors or hands-on training for students, considered very crucial.According to the RTI response, all eleven posts for professors and associate professors are currently vacant. Out of the sanctioned 23 positions for assistant professors, seven are vacant and temporary teachers occupy five. Sources said that pure science teachers instead of forensic experts teach the curriculum.
The courses also do not seem to have many takers as almost every year seats are going vacant.
Asource told TOI that the institute is suffering because of lack of coordination between different arms of the state machinery .“A key problem is that the institute comes under the department of higher and technical education and crime is mainly a subject of the home department. Owing to a lack of communication between the departments, several graduates could not be placed in the state's forensic laboratories,“ the source said.
Rukmini Krishnamurthy, one of the key founding members and former techni cal advisor to the institute, said there were plans to tie up with the state labs so that students can study actual case records and get handson training at labs and with cops.“However, nothing worked out for more than three years and after several meetings with the state.“ A faculty member, though, said the institute has managed to pursuade the government to create some positions in cyber crime and psychological profiling.