Srinagar: The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Tuesday directed government through Chief Secretary to install Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in all police stations across Jammu and Kashmir.
Member SHRC Jung Bhadur Singh Jamwal directed the government to sanction the grant in favour of the Director General of Police for installing the CCTVs cameras.
Besides, the SHRC directed Commissioner Secretary Home Department to process the case with the latest cost of the installation of CCTV cameras.
“Also DGP J&K is directed to prepare the present expenditure and budget to be spent on installation of CCTV Cameras in all police stations of J&K state,” it said.
The SHRC passed the direction while disposing of a case titled Deepak Kumar Sharma of Mandlik Bhawan Jammu, seeking direction for the installation of CCTV cameras. The SHRC member observed that it was commonly known that such tortures as well as the custodial death are happening in Jammu and Kashmir intermittently or on one occasion or the other.
“Many a times, the police personnel convert a criminal case into civil dispute. Though the Commission has no such records of how many custodial deaths have been occurred interceding last few years, it is also not deniable fact that such death do have occurred and instances of torture also have come up to fore,” the SHRC member said.
The installations of CCTV cameras will not only bring the transparency but will also assist all the police stations to be transparent which is the demand of the democracy these days and the security of the police will also be secured, the member said.
“The programme of modernizing policing in the state will make the functioning of the police stations on record and installation of CCTV cameras is an integral part thereof. Many a times it has been noticed that the citizens who approach the police stations with complaints or for other enquiry need not to worry about any kind of harassment once the new proposal of fixing close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras is complete,” the member said.
The CCTV cameras in each police station have to capture the footage of the entire proceeding in the police station and the same footage is an essential evidence for the harassment and human rights violation, the SHRC said. “Some time, it will be very helpful to the police to establish and reply to the false allegations levelled against honest and dedicated police personnel those who have to enforce the law in letter and spirit.”
All the proceedings in all police stations though are required to be video graphed, for the purpose the evidence, will be available for everything and on this aspect fixing of CCTV Cameras is necessitated and essential also, the SHRC underlined.
“The role of the police while determining the case of the human rights violation, the part of the police cannot be separated because a person directly and firstly approaches the police for violation of his human rights and if such surveillance is enforced the human rights violation surely and likely be decreased. The installation of CCTV cameras can be installed as per the availability of the budget partly the government of J&K who choose sensitive police stations in Jammu as well as in Kashmir firstly as a first step of transparency.”
