No records of CCTV cameras at police stations, reveals RTI

An RTI plea filed by a lawyer has revealed that there is no record of CCTV footage available in police stations of Prayagraj

An RTI plea filed by a lawyer has revealed that there is no record of CCTV footage available in police stations of Prayagraj.

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Sunil Kumar, a lawyer at Allahabad high court said that the Supreme Court had issued instructions for compulsory installation of CCTV cameras at all police stations to ensure that complainants are not harassed inside police stations. Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh police has informed the Supreme Court that instructions were being followed. However, an RTI filed by him now exposes that the police is not maintaining records of footage.

The lawyer said that he asked the number of days up to which footage of cameras at police stations should be preserved compulsorily. The other query was the number of days, the police keeps the footage safe, and the third question was if the police is keeping records of 18 months on the instructions of the Supreme Court.

He was told that recordings at police stations was a policy-related question and that even the police office does not have records of all police stations. Moreover, it was said that under section 4-2 of RTI Act 2015 , questions cannot be asked in questionnaire format, the lawyer further claimed.

He further said that on October 30, 2020, Jhunsi police arrested a minor in a case of abduction. The Allahabad high court had asked the police to present CCTV footage of the date. However, the police is yet to produce the footage before the high court.

Only three days back, a police constable harassed and assaulted a man at Koraon police station. The video of the incident went viral on social media following which an enquiry was instituted and action is pending against the constable concerned.