Inspection of city police stations shows most of them do not have working CCTVs and those that have, circumvent SC guidelines by partitioning off interrogation areas and lock-ups away from the cameras
At Vanrai police station, the CCTV camera is installed over the door leading to the lock-up. Pic/Datta Kumbhar
The keepers of the law seem to have no compunctions about flouting it themselves. Despite the 2015 SC order that made it mandatory for police stations to install CCTV cameras on their premises, especially inside interrogation rooms, quite a few police stations that mid-day visited on Monday have either not installed a single camera, or have strategically turned the cameras away from the interrogation rooms.
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No. of police stations mid-day visited in the first part of the test drive
the CCTV camera at Navghar police station is aimed at the floor. PIC/RAJESH GUPTA
mid-day’s report on November 5
A day after mid-day’s report on Wadala TT police violating SC’s order by not installing CCTVs, officers at the police station got the entire premises under surveillance in 24 hours. As per the Supreme Court’s order, it is mandatory for all the police stations to put CCTV cameras in the interrogation rooms to prevent custodial torture and deaths. The court, back in 2015, had also given a maximum time of two years in which to do so. But, four years later, when mid-day surveyed a few other police stations in the city, here is what we found:
2015
Year SC directed state govts to ensure all police stations installed CCTV cameras
Mulund and Vikhroli police stations
No CCTV cameras in detection rooms at Mulund. Also, no cameras installed inside the lock-up of Vikhroli police station
There are no CCTV cameras in the detection rooms at these police stations. PICS/RAJESH GUPTA
Samtanagar and Versova police stations
Versova police station. Pic/Datta Kumbhar
The police station has no proper lock-up and criminals are accommodated in a room attached to the detection office. Only the inside room has a camera.
Aarey police station
There was no CCTV visible on the premises here. PIC/DATTA KUMBHAR
Due to space constraints, the police station has no facilities. They have less than 100 square feet space where they usually question criminals, which has no CCTV cameras in sight. Post interrogation, the accused are made to sit on a bench behind the station house that has CCTV camera.
Amboli police station
There was no CCTV visible on the premises here. PIC/DATTA KUMBHAR
The detection room has no CCTV cameras. A proper lock-up has been created inside the station house room.
Vanrai and Borivli police stations
The CCTV camera here is installed over the door leading to the lock-up. PIC/DATTA KUMBHAR
Borivli police station’s cameras face away from the interrogation rooms. PIC/DATTA KUMBHAR
The detection room here was no different from that at Charkop. The CCTV camera was installed over the door leading to the lock-up and the camera focuses only on the lock-up where the criminals are held.
Navghar police station
The CCTV camera at Navghar Police Station is aimed at the floor. PIC/RAJESH GUPTA
The CCTV camera inside the detection room has been turned away to face the floor due to which the interrogation room is not covered by surveillance.
Wadala police station
Cops here say no cameras are installed as they have shifted to a new location. PIC/SURESH KARKERA
The Wadala police station, which was shifted to BPT Colony from Korba Mitha Nagar Wadala East around six months ago, still awaits CCTV cameras on its premises. This police station has the most sensitive areas in Wadala under its jurisdiction. Senior PI Gangadhar Sonavane of Wadala police station told mid-day, “The police station was recently shifted to another location. We are still in the process of installing CCTV cameras. The cameras that allow us to survey the entire locality has already been connected to the police station. The cameras will be installed inside the police station premises soon.”
Charkop police station
The detection area is divided into two rooms. One is occupied by detection officers while the inside room has a lock-up to accommodate criminals and petty offenders. Though the locked room is covered by CCTV cameras, the place where the accused is interrogated by the officers has no cameras.
Bangur Nagar police station
There is no lock-up here and also no CCTV cameras in the detection room where they interrogate criminals.
What the SC had said
The Supreme Court in its judgment dated July 24, 2015, had given directions to all the state governments to ensure that all police stations and interrogation rooms were put under the surveillance of CCTV cameras to prevent custodial torture and deaths:
- The state governments shall take steps to install CCTV cameras in all prisons in their respective states, within a period of one year from today but not later than two years.
- The state governments shall also consider the installation of CCTV cameras in police stations in a phased manner depending upon the incidents of human rights violations reported in such stations.
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