Delhi Police uses facial recognition system to identify 2,873 people at Jantar Mantar protest

Delhi Police has claimed that its Facial Recognition System (FRS) identified 2,873 people with criminal antecedents at the Jantar Mantar protest site between July 20 and July 25, as investigators continue probing the violence reported during the student demonstrations in the national capital.

According to a senior police official, nearly 989 of those identified are suspected to have been involved in serious criminal cases, including allegations of murder, sexual assault, offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, kidnapping and robbery. Police said they are examining whether any of these were involved in the violence that erupted in and around Jantar Mantar on July 20.

The identification was carried out using Delhi Police's Facial Recognition System along with other technical surveillance methods. High-resolution cameras installed at entry and exit points of the protest venue, as well as at multiple locations across Delhi, including border checkpoints, were used to monitor movement at the site, officials said.

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Police said many of those flagged by the system had previously been recorded in areas such as Seelampur, Chand Bagh, Jafrabad and some colonies in South -East Delhi like Jamia Nagar, Shaheen Bagh and Okhla. Investigators are analysing their movements and whether some individuals visited the protest venue repeatedly during the six-day period.

Officials further claimed that several of the identified individuals had returned to the protest site on multiple occasions despite having serious criminal cases registered against them. However, police have not alleged that every person identified by the system participated in the violence, and the investigation into their possible role remains ongoing.

According to Delhi Police, the Facial Recognition System compares images captured by surveillance cameras with an internal database containing records of history-sheeters, proclaimed offenders, absconders, Bad Characters (BCs) and other individuals with documented criminal histories maintained by police stations across the city.

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Officials said the surveillance infrastructure was deployed to detect anti-social elements who might attempt to exploit public demonstrations to disrupt law and order.

A police source also claimed investigators are examining whether the presence of such individuals at the protest site was organised or coordinated. The source further alleged that authorities are looking into possible links with Pakistan-based social media accounts accused of spreading misinformation related to the security situation in the national capital. No evidence supporting this allegation was made public, and the investigation is continuing.

With IANS inputs