Delhi Police officers sport bodycams at INDIA bloc's anti-Gyanesh Kumar protest

Delhi Police has equipped frontline personnel with body-worn cameras at protest sites in the capital. The move is meant to document crowd-control interactions and strengthen accountability amid misconduct allegations.

In Short

• Security was tightened across three districts after Election Commission protest calls
• Multilayer barricades were placed to block entry into restricted central areas
• Complaints by three women journalists triggered a Crime Branch inquiry

Amid allegations of excesses by security personnel during protests, Delhi Police has issued body-worn cameras to officers and personnel deployed on the frontline across the New Delhi area, an official source said on Tuesday.

The move comes as security has been tightened in New Delhi, Central Delhi and North Delhi following a series of demonstrations against the Election Commission over the SIR exercise.

The bodycams have been given particularly to personnel involved in crowd management and security arrangements around protest sites and roads leading to the Election Commission of India office. Citing a police source, news agency PTI reported that the cameras will help create a real-time video record of events and interactions between police personnel and protesters, and provide evidence if allegations are made against officers on duty.

"The bodycams are important, particularly when officers are dealing with large crowds, and there are allegations from either side. The recordings can help establish what happened during a protest," the source told PTI.

Police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in large numbers in the three districts, and multilayer barricades have been placed at several points to stop protesters from entering restricted areas.

The use of bodycams is also aimed at strengthening accountability during law-and-order deployments, especially as police are increasingly required to manage protests involving large groups of political workers, students and civil society members. The recordings could also provide investigators with an additional source of evidence while examining complaints against police personnel or allegations of misconduct by protesters, the source said.

The decision assumes significance after three women journalists complained of alleged sexual harassment and manhandling during a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Jantar Mantar on October 2. The journalists alleged that police personnel behaved inappropriately with them during the protest, and one of the complainants alleged that an officer sexually assaulted her.

An officer said the New Delhi district police received the complaints and transferred them to the Crime Branch for a fair and impartial inquiry. The investigating agency is expected to examine the allegations and record statements of the complainants and other persons concerned.

The complaints also led to protests by independent journalists and others outside Parliament Street police station, with demonstrators demanding registration of an FIR and examination of CCTV footage of the alleged incidents. According to police sources, no FIR had been registered in the matter.

Delhi Police has also issued an advisory for journalists covering protests, asking them to carry valid identity cards.

"Journalists covering protests to carry valid identity cards issued by their respective organisations or valid PIB/DIP accreditation cards, and keep them visibly displayed at all times to facilitate identification by law enforcement at protest sites," the police said.

In the advisory, police also said media personnel should ensure that their presence or activities do not obstruct police operations or the movement of law enforcement personnel.

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