Story perspectives

Delhi Police Deploy Body Cams During October Jantar Mantar Protests

By Drooid · Oct 6, 2026, 4:13 PM UTC · How we work

Center

Court-ordered camera SOPs

Delhi Police equipped officers with body-worn cameras during early-October 2026 protests over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.
The deployment is linked to a public-interest litigation before the Delhi High Court demanding court-ordered standard operating procedures for camera use, storage and evidentiary admissibility.
The journalists’ complaints were transferred to the Crime Branch for an independent inquiry.

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MP Demands Inquiry

Delhi Police fitted officers with body-worn cameras during the October 6 2026 Jantar Mantar protests over the Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
No FIR was filed for the journalists’ harassment complaints, prompting CPI MP P. Sandosh Kumar to demand an inquiry into badge removal, plain-clothes deployments.
Three journalists accused Commissioner of Police Vivek Bhagat of harassment and manhandling on October 3.
Delhi Police advisory on October 5 told journalists to show IDs and keep distance.

History

Historical Context

After the United States rolled out large-scale body-worn camera programs in 2014, with federal support, India expanded its own deployment, reaching roughly 100,000 cameras nationwide by 2023. Building on that trend, Delhi Police equipped officers for the October 6 2026 Jantar Mantar protests, while a Delhi High Court suit now seeks formal operating rules.

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Court-ordered camera SOPs

Delhi Police equipped officers with body-worn cameras during early-October 2026 protests over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.
The deployment is linked to a public-interest litigation before the Delhi High Court demanding court-ordered standard operating procedures for camera use, storage and evidentiary admissibility.
The journalists’ complaints were transferred to the Crime Branch for an independent inquiry.

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