New Delhi: A Rs 15.7-crore Delhi Police tender for 338 CCTV cameras with facial recognition capabilities across Central and New Delhi has come under the spotlight, with sources in police saying it was part of a modernisation plan conceived two years ago and had no connection with the July protests.
On Oct 11, Delhi Police de-notified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site and named Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in Shahdara as alternatives. The proposal to install permanent cameras under the ASUMP modernisation scheme was considered in March 2025 and approved in Sept 2025.
The report said the bid, uploaded to the Govt e-Marketplace (GeM), came five days after protests at Jantar Mantar over the NEET paper leak ended. The proposal was part of the modernisation initiative, which is also being implemented in other states, according to a police source. A senior Delhi Police officer said CCTV cameras were earlier hired on rent for security arrangements along VVIP routes.
Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), in an analysis of the tender documents, flagged concerns over surveillance safeguards, discrepancies in camera quantities and other flaws in the procurement process. The report claimed, “We found no evidence that the two decisions were coordinated. We can say that the ground the police have chosen for protests is ground they had already chosen to watch with facial recognition. “It was first conceptualised two years ago, following which approval was sought from the ministry concerned. The officer added that Delhi Police’s security unit uses vehicle-mounted jammers to secure routes during VIP movements.