By TRINATH MOHANTY, OP
Bhubaneswar: As many as 819 CCTV cameras installed in police stations and outposts across Odisha are non-functional, raising serious concerns over police accountability, custodial safe ty and transparency. While 17 police stations are operating in offline mode, 181 remain disconnected from the Central Monitoring System (CMS), revealed a letter issued by the Police Headquarters.
CCTV cameras are intended to monitor activities inside police stations, including the questioning of accused persons and incidents of custodial deaths. The Supreme Court has also issued clear directions mandating CCTV surveillance in police stations. However, the large number of defunct cameras has raised questions over compliance, with the absence of footage potentially weakening evidence in cases involving alleged custodial deaths and police excesses.
According to the Police Headquarters communication, 764 CCTV cameras in police stations and 55 in police outposts are non-functional. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar has written to the Chief Executive Officer of the Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC), describing the situation as serious and urgent.
He has called for immediate restoration of the cameras, uninterrupted recording and proper preservation of footage. Out of the 764 defunct cameras, 355 are installed inside police station premises and 409 outside. Similarly, Odisha has 295 police outposts, of which 264 have CCTV cameras installed and 262 are operational.
However, 55 cameras remain offline, while 3,836 are functioning in online mode. Connectivity with the CMS is another concern. While 607 police stations are reportedly connected to the system, 181 have lost connectivity, indicating significant gaps in central monitoring. Lightning strikes, short circuits and technical faults have been cited as reasons for the disruption.
The Airfield police station in Bhubaneswar, under the Commissionerate Police, reportedly has no CCTV cameras in its new building due to pending documentation. The cameras in the old police station have also been switched off. At Chandrabhaga Marine Police Station near Konark, the cameras have reportedly become defunct due to exposure to saline water.
Lightning strikes have also damaged electronic equipment at Kumbharpada and Charichhak police stations in Puri district, Athmallik in Anugola, Patana in Kendujhar, Jankia and GRP police stations in Khordha, Golanthara in Ganjam, Dhamnagar in Bhadrak, Jamda and Muruda in Mayurbhanj, and Hirakud in Sambalpur. Biridi police station in Jagatsinghpur and Sundaragada Town police station have reported technical problems, while a short circuit reportedly damaged CCTV equipment at Olatpur police station in Kataka district.
Under Supreme Court directions, CCTV cameras in all police stations and outposts must remain operational round the clock. The system is crucial for protecting complainants, safeguarding the rights of accused persons and ensuring transparency in police functioning.
Additional Director General of Police (Modernisation) Soumendra Priyadarshi said instructions had been issued to repair CCTV cameras across all police stations. An ADG has been assigned to monitor the process and coordinate repairs through OCAC.
However, several police station officials have alleged that OCAC outsourced the maintenance work to a third-party agency through a tender process, but the agency has failed to carry out repairs effectively.
Meanwhile, some police station in-charges are reportedly installing private cameras inside and outside their chambers at their own expense, os tensibly for personal security. Some district crime intelligence officers (DCIOs) have also reportedly installed such cameras.
These installations are believed to be partly motivated by concerns over vigilance raids.