Ramlila Maidan among spots for which police issued surveillance camera tender in July
Delhi Police issued a tender for 338 surveillance cameras, including facial recognition technology, for key protest sites and VVIP routes in July. Digital rights groups have raised concerns about the timing and the integration of these systems with existing police networks.
Why it matters
The deployment of facial recognition at protest sites raises significant questions regarding privacy, civil liberties, and the potential for state surveillance of political dissent.
Ramlila Maidan among spots for which police issued surveillance camera tender in July New Delhi Nearly two and a half months before Delhi Police denotified Jantar Mantar as a protest site and designated three new protest venues — Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground in north Delhi, and CBD Ground in east Delhi — it had issued a tender for 338 cameras, including facial recognition models, to be installed across central and New Delhi districts. The VVIP gate of Ramlila Maidan was one of the spots covered by the tender, worth ₹15.66 crore, with others including Turkman Gate, Delhi Gate, Raj Ghat, the India Gate C-Hexagon, Mandi House and Patiala House. The Internet Freedom Foundation, a digital rights organisation, flagged the issue in a report whose details The Hindu has independently verified.
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