A Rs 15.7-crore Delhi Police tender to acquire 338 CCTV cameras with facial recognition technology (FRT) across New Delhi and Central districts has drawn public scrutiny. While police officials maintain the procurement is part of a two-year-old modernisation drive unrelated to recent demonstrations, digital rights group Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) has raised flags regarding surveillance safeguards, technical discrepancies, and procurement flaws.
The bid was uploaded to the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) five days after protests at Jantar Mantar concerning the NEET paper leak concluded. Months later, on October 11, Delhi Police de-notified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest zone, redirecting future demonstrations to alternative locations such as Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground, and CBD Ground in Shahdara.
