Cameras on uniforms, speakers on streets: Delhi Police changes approach amid claims of manhandling

The New Delhi district has been witnessing protests since October 2, with Opposition parties holding demonstrations.

The cameras were hard to miss.

Attached to the uniforms of police personnel deployed on Parliament Street on Tuesday, the small body-worn devices were recording as officers prepared to deal with another round of protests near the Election Commission headquarters.

“This has been given to the ground staff so that no one makes false allegations,” a Delhi Police constable said, pointing to the camera fixed to his uniform. He was deployed to maintain law and order during the INDIA bloc’s protest demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.

The cameras, along with speakers blaring announcements and police personnel largely without batons, were part of a visibly more cautious approach adopted by the force, as protests in Central Delhi entered their fifth day.

The measures come after three days of criticism and allegations over the handling of protesters, including sexual assault allegations made by three female journalists.

By Tuesday, around 80 body-worn cameras had been distributed among ground staff, according to a senior officer. They were deployed among almost all ground-level personnel up to the rank of DCP, with officers told to record their interactions while managing crowds.

“If required, more cameras will be given to the ground staff,” the officer said.

Body-worn cameras are not new to the Delhi Police.

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Traffic personnel have used them for several years to record interactions while issuing challans, while local police sometimes use them when dealing with members of the public, but not on such a large scale. Their deployment on this scale during crowd-control duties is a recent measure, another officer said.

Further, police personnel were largely seen without batons or other weapons as Opposition leaders approached the barricades. Speakers repeatedly urged people not to gather in the area, with prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in force across Parliament Street and adjoining areas.

More than five companies of paramilitary personnel, along with local police, were deployed along the routes expected to be taken by the protesters from Makar Dwar of Parliament to the Election Commission office. Multi-layered barricades came up outside the EC office’s main entrance and around Jantar Mantar.

The New Delhi district has been witnessing protests since October 2, with Opposition parties holding demonstrations.

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Police have registered nine FIRs in connection with the protests held near Jantar Mantar over the last five days. The cases include alleged violations of prohibitory orders, rioting and attacks on police personnel while they were discharging their duties.

Eighteen people have also been arrested, while more than 300 people detained and later released.

Police are, meanwhile, bracing for another protest.

The Cockroach Janta Party has called another demonstration at Jantar Mantar on October 10 as part of a nationwide stir demanding Kumar’s resignation.