Punjab: Case registered against former FSL director under SC, ST Act

Punjab: Police here have registered a case under the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against Dr Ashwani Kalia, former director of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Punjab. The case came to light after a woman employee accused him of using objectionable and casteist slur on January 3. The complainant Sandeep Kaur, Assistant Director (Physics/Audible), FSL, Punjab, also alleged that Kalia was pressurising her to hand over the file and case exhibits of a high-profile case of 2022 registered at Phase-8 police station against a former minister with malafide intention. “Kalia is intent on altering the final report by illegally interfering and forging my official seals already registered on the parcel,” the complaint said. She further said that she had earlier also sought access to the seals and stamps of the Physics department, raising serious concerns over the custodial integrity of the case.
The complainant has also informed the administrative secretary, Home and Justice Department, Punjab about the concerns. On January 3, 2025, at around 9.25 am, Kalia allegedly asked for seals and stamps of the Physics Department. The complainant requested him to sit down and discuss the need for seals and stamps, but Kalia suddenly used objectionable and casteist words in front of his subordinates and threatened to get her fired by writing an adverse report against the administrative secretary of Punjab’s home and justice department. Kaur also alleged that the FSL director was harassing and neglecting her because she belonged to the Scheduled Caste. A case was registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act at Phase-1 police station on August 14. An inquiry report was submitted by the IGP (Provisioning) to the Director, Bureau of Investigation (BOI) on July 28. Kalia retired on June 30 this year.