Gandhinagar, July 13 (IANS) The inaugural ceremony of the 11th INTERPOL Digital Forensics Expert Group (DFEG) Meeting at the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in Gandhinagar, which was scheduled to be inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday morning, has been cancelled after the Centre declared a day of national mourning following the death of former Qatar Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

In a statement, NFSU said the inauguration scheduled for 11 a.m. on July 13 would not take place because of the national mourning.

“As the Central government has declared one day of national mourning following the demise of the former Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the inaugural ceremony of the DFEG meeting scheduled to be held at the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) at 11.00 a.m. on July 13, 2026, has been cancelled,” the university said.

NFSU also requested media representatives not to travel to its Gandhinagar campus until further notice.

“Therefore, all media representatives are requested not to come to NFSU, Gandhinagar at present. The revised programme schedule will be communicated shortly,” the statement, issued by Campus Director Prof. (Dr.) S.O. Junare, added.

Amit Shah was scheduled to inaugurate the 11th edition of the INTERPOL Digital Forensics Expert Group Meeting in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi and NFSU Vice-Chancellor Dr J.M. Vyas.

The event was expected to bring together representatives from 47 countries and senior law enforcement officials to discuss developments in digital forensic investigations.

The inauguration programme was also set to include the launch of three new Centres of Excellence at NFSU, covering financial crime investigation, media forensics and crime scene management, along with the unveiling of what the university describes as Asia’s first ‘Cyber Forensic Investigation Van’ and an exhibition featuring more than 30 companies working in digital forensics and cyber security.

NFSU is also due to host, in collaboration with INTERPOL, the first International Investigation Competition and a summit on ‘AI-enabled Digital Forensic Investigation’ on July 15, bringing together investigators, forensic professionals and academics from across the world.

–IANS

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