Most Mumbai police stations do not have working CCTVs

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 midday visited on Monday have either not installed a single camera or have strategically turned the cameras away from the interrogation rooms12No of police stations midday visited in the first part of the test drivethe CCTV camera at Navghar police station is aimed at the floor PICRAJESH GUPTAmiddayrsquos report on November 5A day after middayrsquos report on Wadala TT police violating SCrsquos order by not installing CCTVs officers at the police station got the entire premises under surveillance in 24 hours As per the Supreme Courtrsquos 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 midday surveyed a few other police stations in the city here is what we found2015Year SC directed state govts to ensure all police stations installed CCTV camerasMulund and Vikhroli police stationsNo CCTV cameras in detection rooms at Mulund Also no cameras installed inside the lockup of Vikhroli police stationThere are no CCTV cameras in the detection rooms at these police stations PICSRAJESH GUPTASamtanagar and Versova police stationsVersova police station PicDatta KumbharThe police station has no proper lockup and criminals are accommodated in a room attached to the detection office Only the inside room has a cameraAarey police stationThere was no CCTV visible on the premises here PICDATTA KUMBHARDue 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 cameraAmboli police stationThere was no CCTV visible on the premises here PICDATTA KUMBHARThe detection room has no CCTV cameras A proper lockup has been created inside the station house roomVanrai and Borivli police stationsThe CCTV camera here is installed over the door leading to the lockup PICDATTA KUMBHARBorivli police stationrsquos cameras face away from the interrogation rooms PICDATTA KUMBHARThe detection room here was no different from that at Charkop The CCTV camera was installed over the door leading to the lockup and the camera focuses only on the lockup where the criminals are heldNavghar police stationThe CCTV camera at Navghar Police Station is aimed at the floor PICRAJESH GUPTAThe CCTV camera inside the detection room has been turned away to face the floor due to which the interrogation room is not covered by surveillanceWadala police stationCops here say no cameras are installed as they have shifted to a new location PICSURESH KARKERAThe 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 midday ldquoThe 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 soonrdquoCharkop police stationThe detection area is divided into two rooms One is occupied by detection officers while the inside room has a lockup 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 camerasBangur Nagarpolice stationThere is no lockup here and also no CCTV cameras in the detection room where they interrogate criminalsWhat the SC had saidThe 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 deathsThe state governments shall take steps to install CCTV cameras in all prisons in their respective states within a period of one year from todaybut not later than two yearsThe 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 stationsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates