A participant speaking at the grievance redressal meeting in Mangaluru on Friday. | Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH
The police are taking action to restore non-working CCTV camera sets installed at vital locations in Dakshina Kannada, said Superintendent of Police Rishikesh Sonawane here on Friday.
In answer to a question during the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes grievance redressal meeting held at his office, Mr. Sonawane said that as many as 1,500 CCTV cameras, which are installed by the police, local bodies and business establishments, are being used for surveillance and crime detection. This includes 150 CCTV cameras installed by the office of Inspector-General of Police (Western Range).
Some of the CCTVs are malfunctioning because of technical problem. There are also CCTV cameras that have stopped working due to heavy rainfall. “Steps are being taken to repair them,” Mr. Sonawane said.
Vishwanath, a Dalit activist from Bantwal, expressed the need for repairing a CCTV camera installed at a place in Bantwal Rural Police limits. The jurisdictional police inspector said that the CCTV camera has been installed by a private person and he is being asked to repair it.
Mr. Sonawane said that the police will ask people to repair malfunctioning CCTV cameras installed by private persons. Stating the importance of CCTV cameras in crime detection, Mr. Sonawane said that it was footage from CCTV cameras installed in Bellare that helped the police identify the accused involved in the murder of (BJP Yuva Morcha leader) Praveen Nettaru.
To activist Nemiraj’s complaint that a bhajana mandali was building a marriage hall in the “DC Manna” land, which is meant for SCs and STs, in Venur Police limits, Mr. Sonawane said that revenue officials will be asked to visit the site.
Activists Anil Kumar and S.P. Anand sought the arrest of those involved in the death of Dalit activist Deekayya in his house in Kaniyuru in Belthangady police station limits on July 4, 2022. Mr. Sonawane said that the allegations are being investigated by Police Inspector Nandakumar.
Defending the arrests of a Diploma student in a theft case and of a resident of Sullia in a POCSO Act case, Mr. Sonawane said that the arrests were based on evidence gathered by the police. Allegations, if any, should be put in writing and they will be inquired into, he said.
