Delhi City Police arms frontline personnel with bodycams

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

The bodycams have been issued to officers deployed across the New Delhi area, particularly those involved in crowd management and security arrangements around protest sites and roads leading to the Election Commission of India office, the source said.

A police source said the bodycams would help maintain a real-time video record of events and interactions between police personnel and protesters, besides providing evidence in case 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 said.

The move comes amid heightened security in the New Delhi, Central Delhi and North Delhi districts following a series of demonstrations against the Election Commission over the SIR exercise.

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

The deployment of bodycams assumes significance following complaints of alleged sexual harassment and manhandling made by three women journalists during a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Jantar Mantar on October 2.