Now, cameras must in Gurugram police stations to check rights violations

GURUGRAM: All police stations in the district need to install CCTV cameras equipped with audio and night-vision features, and store the data for at least a year to check for human rights violations, a committee constituted on the direction of the Supreme Court has told the police.

The District Level Oversight Committee (DLOC) also asked the police of all 8 districts — Gurugram , Mahendergarh, Rewari, Jhajjar, Rohtak, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri and Sonipat — to submit the assessment of requirement for CCTV cameras, so that funds can be released for early installation.
“We have directed police to make an assessment of the number of CCTV cameras needed in each police station apart from related equipment, and submit a proposal for allocation of funds,” said Rajiv Ranjan, chairman of DLOC and divisional commissioner of Gurugram who holds additional charge of Rohtak range.
The directions are based on a 2020 order by the Supreme Court that has mandated CCTV cameras to be installed in police stations across the country. The DLOC has estimated that the stations in Gurugram are sizeable and each may require at least 25 cameras each. The objective, it said, is to check for possible police excesses and ensure there are no human rights violations of those in custody.
According to the DLOC’s order on Wednesday, the cameras should cover each and every portion of the station, including the front and the backyards. The SHO of a police station will be responsible to ensure that cameras remain in a working condition apart from data upkeep and backup.
CCTV systems must be equipped with night vision features and should provide for recording video and audio, it said, adding that the state will need to ensure that electricity supply and internet connectivity is uninterrupted.
On December 2, 2020, the Supreme Court – ruling in the case of Paramvir Singh Saini versus Baljit Singh & others – had directed that CCTV cameras be installed in all police stations and central investigation agencies across India.
In March that year, the DLOC chaired its first meeting in Gurugram , ordering the same set of directions but no police station submitted its requirements. On Wednesday, the DLOC reiterated its directions to the police.
The DLOC is responsible for continuous monitoring, supervision, maintenance and upkeep of CCTV cameras at the police stations. It can scan CCTV footage to check unreported cases of human rights violations and has to collect a monthly report from every police station to forward it to the state level oversight committee.