THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police department cautioned its officers that the CCTV camera visuals inside the police stations obtained under the Right to Information Act (RTI) could be used legally against the force and advised them to be aware of this aspect while dealing with the public. The circular sent by Police Headquarters ADGP S Sreejith to all the district police chiefs said the visuals could also end up being used for maligning the image of the force on social media platforms.
It was the recent decision of the State Information Commission allowing a group of complainants to access the CCTV visuals from the Peechi police station that prompted the department to issue an advisory to its men. A group of men had approached the State Information Commission seeking the CCTV footage from the station alleging that they were subjected to third-degree treatment while taken into custody by Peechi police in a criminal case. The request for the visuals was first filed with the police, which was rejected following which the complainants approached the Information Commission.
The Commission ruled in favour of the complainants in August and directed the cops to provide them with the visuals, from which it was revealed that the then Peechi SHO had beaten up two of the accused in the case inside the station. The police assessment is that more people would take a similar route to access CCTV visuals from the stations and that could create trouble for the men in uniform.
The department had decided to install CCTV cameras in the stations in a bid to curtail human rights violations and to rule out custodial torture.