Why CCTV was not installed in Wadala TT police station, HC asks state

The Bombay high court (HC) has directed the state to file an affidavit regarding its failure to have CCTV surveillance in all police stations in the city despite a 2014 order of the high court giving specific directions on the same. The court was hearing a petition filed by the father of Vijay Singh, who allegedly died in the custody of Wadala TT police on the night of October 27, 2019.

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The division bench of justice AA Sayed and justice Abhay Ahuja, while hearing the petition of Hriday Narayan Singh and others, was informed by advocate Vinay Nair that Ankit Mishra, Vijay’s friend, had gone into hiding and was not traceable as the police had threatened him. Nair also submitted that though the post-mortem report of KEM Hospital indicated that Singh had died to a concussion on his chest and that no action was taken against the police officers.

Nair further submitted that though Mishra was present with the deceased while in the custody of Wadala TT police station, his statement on what happened on the fateful night was not recorded by investigators.

He then added that the state was in contempt of a 2014 order of the HC wherein a bench had directed the state to have 24-hour rotating CCTV surveillance in the passages, doors and interior of police stations and to retain the cassettes of the footage for a year.

Public prosecutor Deepak Thakare, however, refuted the Nair’s allegation and said the investigators had recorded Mishra’s statement soon after the case was registered against the police personnel. He also submitted that CCTV was installed in the police station, but they were not functional at the time due to some work.

After hearing the submissions, the court directed the state to record the statement of Mishra and also file an affidavit explaining as to why no CCTV was installed in the police station and posted the matter for hearing after four weeks.