CM Yogi Warns at Tech Sangam 2026 as UP Launches Quantum Forensic Hub
Delivering an unequivocal warning to cybercriminals and emerging digital syndicates, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stated on Saturday that no matter how sophisticated a technological cloak offenders adopt through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deepfakes, the state's modern scientific and legal apparatus will pierce through their digital deception. Addressing the inaugural session of "Tech Sangam 2026"—a three-day international conference hosted at the Uttar Pradesh State Institute of Forensic Science (UPSIFS) in Lucknow—the Chief Minister cautioned that while artificial intelligence serves as an indispensable investigative aid, it must never supersede human discretion or become the sole arbiter of judicial decisions. Highlighting the critical need to prevent absolute algorithmic dependence from morphing into a future systemic crisis, he affirmed that integrating frontline forensic science, digital evidence gathering, and quantum innovation is fundamentally accelerating the delivery of justice across the state.
From Reclaiming 100 Acres of Mafia Land to Making 'CID' Forensics Real Life in UP
Reflecting on Uttar Pradesh’s transformative law-and-order trajectory, Chief Minister Adityanath revealed that the world-class 100-acre campus where UPSIFS operates today was once unlawfully seized by a notorious Lucknow land mafia, against whom local authorities previously hesitated to act until the state government initiated aggressive legal action in 2017 that forced an immediate surrender of the encroached parcel. Drawing a parallel to the popular investigative television drama "CID," the Chief Minister noted that while audiences once marveled at television detectives tracing suspects via a single strand of hair or partial fingerprint, that cinematic precision has transitioned into everyday investigative reality across Uttar Pradesh. Underscoring the tragic cost of outdated evidentiary methods, he cited the historical case of a mafia don whose initial 1980 offenses took 42 years to yield a conviction in 2022 due to lost records and contaminated DNA samples. Under India's updated criminal jurisprudence mandate requiring compulsory forensic documentation for offenses carrying prison terms exceeding seven years, Uttar Pradesh has operationalized 12 dedicated forensic laboratories out of 18 planned across all police ranges, backed by a fleet of over 150 specialized mobile forensic vans dispatched directly to crime scenes.
'Law With Labs': Inaugurating LEXQ Quantum Hub, Abhedya Project, and 5 GW Data Center Roadmap
The international conference witnessed the formal launch of the pioneering "LEXQ Center of Excellence," an advanced facility dedicated to quantum forensics, algorithmic security, and rigorous legal compliance, championing the founding philosophy of "Law with Labs." Alongside the center, Chief Minister Adityanath unveiled a digital consent management portal, laid the foundation stone for the mission-critical "Abhedya" project, and officially released the research publication "AI in Construction." Emphasizing that digital data represents the essential fuel of 21st-century economic dominance, the Chief Minister announced that Uttar Pradesh is actively engineering five massive infrastructure clusters to achieve an aggregate data center capacity of five gigawatts (GW) by 2030, complemented by the ongoing establishment of North India's maiden semiconductor fabrication plant in Noida to cement the state’s technological sovereignty.
Global Pacts and Industrial Expansion: UPSIFS Inks MoUs With US and National Institutes
The state’s technology overhaul is mirrored by rapid industrial industrialization, expanding from 14,000 industrial units established between 1947 and 2017 to over 35,000 enterprises registered over the past nine years, supported by a 75,000-acre land bank and investment commitments totaling ₹50 lakh crore. Pointing to corporate growth, the Chief Minister cited HCL’s Lucknow development center, which expanded from 100 professionals in 2017 to 12,600 employees today, with women safely participating across night shifts. UPSIFS Founding Director Dr. G.K. Goswami detailed that the institute, which had its foundation stone laid by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on August 1, 2021, has already trained over 5,000 officers across defense, police, and administrative cadres in robotics, cyber forensics, and modern crime scene protocols. Endorsing the state's trajectory, University of Indianapolis President Prof. Tanuja Singh remarked that Uttar Pradesh's tech-driven students are poised to lead globally. Highlighting the event was the execution of high-level Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with premier international and domestic entities, including the University of Indianapolis (USA), SANS Institute (USA), Jiwaji University, UP Skill Development Mission, NIELIT, DFSS, Digital India Corporation, STPI, and C-DAC. Prominent dignitaries in attendance included NITI Aayog member Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Defense Cyber Agency DG Rear Admiral Sanjay Sachdeva, ACS Home Sanjay Prasad, DGP Rajiv Krishna, and Sarojini Nagar MLA Dr. Rajeshwar Singh.
