Amid Odisha custody abuse row, Puja held at police station; CCTVs installed

BHUBANESWAR: Facing nationwide embarrassment due to the alleged assault on an Army Captain and molestation of his fiancée while in custody at Bharatpur police station in Bhubaneswar recently, the station personnel conducted a ‘graha santi’ (worshipping the planets) puja on Monday. The purpose of the puja, performed inside Bharatpur police station, was to seek blessings from deities for smooth operations in the future and to prevent further controversies.
The development coincided with the installation of CCTV cameras at the station.Despite the fact that Rs 4.5 crore was spent on the construction of the modern, three-storied police station, it was surprisingly not equipped with CCTV cameras, until now.
Twenty-five CCTV cameras have been installed at key locations throughout the police station. These locations include the entry and exit points, lock-up, corridor, reception area, inspector’s room, other rooms where police officers sit, areas outside the lock-up, in front of the police station compound, outside the washroom/toilet, duty officer’s room and the backyard of the police station.
“We organised the puja to bring good fortune to the station and ensure the well being of everyone. CCTV cameras, too, have been installed,” Bharatpur station inspector in-charge (IIC) Deepak Khandayatray said. He was appointed the IIC on Sept 18 following the suspension of his predecessor, Dinakrushna Mishra.
“Today, we have completed the process and installed the cameras in the new building,” another police officer said.
State crime branch, which is probing the alleged assault case, had earlier admitted the investigation to gather evidence could run into a hurdle in the absence of CCTV cameras at Bharatpur police station.
Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said the govt would ensure that all police stations across the state are brought under CCTV surveillance. “We came to know that some police stations in Odisha do not have CCTV cameras. The chief minister has directed the home department to take immediate measures to bring those stations under CCTV surveillance,” Harichandan said.
“CCTV cameras will be installed in every police station by Oct 8. The cameras will be installed in 52 new police stations while the devices will be replaced in 29 others,” DGP YB Khurania said.
Sources in Odisha police said about 80 police stations do not have CCTV cameras. According to the official data released by the Bureau of Police Research and Development, 11,887 CCTV cameras cover at least 591 out of 679 police stations as of Jan 1, 2023. They included 362 stations in rural areas, 162 in urban areas and 67 special purpose police stations located in urban and semi-urban areas.