Odisha assault case: Policemen wear cameras at police stations in Bhubaneswar

Odisha’s Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissionerate has asked all police station reception staff to wear body cameras to check the behavior of both police and guests.

The police commissioner took this move in response to the alleged allegations sexual harassment of a woman and torture of an army officer by policemen at the Bharatpur Police Station in Bhubaneswar.

Besides, the woman allegedly misbehaved in the presence of police at Khandagiri police station recently.

The officer said that some police stations in Bhubaneswar implemented the order on Sunday.

To ensure accountability and transparency, Commissioner of Police Dev Datta Singh has ordered all reception staff of the police station to wear body cameras.

This will monitor police behavior towards visitors and create accountability, the police commission wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

It said police officers have been sensitized to behave politely, kindly and in accordance with the law in their dealings, adding that this initiative will enable the police to record the behavior of some guests which was inappropriate, he added.

“Body cameras will provide real-time notifications to the control room, which will improve our response. Audiovisual recordings will be stored for at least one month. We are in the process of upgrading existing body cameras to make them state-of-the-art,” added X’s post.

There were repeated allegations that people visiting the police station did not behave properly. At the same time, it was also alleged that the complainants misbehaved with police personnel at police stations, said Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police Pinak Mishra.

To check this, cameras have been sent to various police stations to record conversations, he added.