The ongoing student protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar have triggered a fresh debate over the surveillance technology being used at the site. Videos circulating widely on X claim that Delhi Police personnel are using AI-powered facial recognition systems to identify protesters in real time. The clips, also shared by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on X, appear to show footage from a live CCTV surveillance vehicle fitted with 360-degree cameras. Screens inside the vehicle seemingly display the names, photographs and other details of certain individuals.
The videos make no reference to Aadhaar. However, because the system appears capable of retrieving personal information after scanning faces, many social media users have speculated that it could be linked to Aadhaar or another government database. There has been no official confirmation that Aadhaar is being used, and Delhi Police has not stated that the technology is connected to the Aadhaar database.
AI surveillance vehicles deployed near protest site
According to a report by The Indian Express, Delhi Police has deployed two surveillance vehicles near the protest venue. One serves as a mobile monitoring unit, receiving live feeds from CCTV cameras installed around the area. The second vehicle reportedly uses artificial intelligence to analyse the footage and compare faces captured on camera with images stored in a police database.
Officials said the technology is not intended to identify every protester but is designed to alert police if an individual with a criminal record is detected in the crowd.
"We have a large database of criminals, with their pictures. So, we run facial recognition on the footage that is received from the various CCTVs in the area, to see if it flags any face the software matches with someone on our criminal database," a senior police officer told The Indian Express.
The facial recognition system operates from the Ikshana vehicle, which was first introduced by Delhi Police ahead of the 2023 G20 Summit as part of its surveillance network.
Uncertainty over data source
Although the viral videos have prompted speculation that Aadhaar data is being accessed, there is no evidence in the footage to support that claim. The videos only appear to show faces being matched with personal information available through a police system.
This has raised questions about the source of the information if it is not linked to Aadhaar. So far, authorities have not publicly clarified which database is being used to identify individuals shown on the monitoring screens.
Protesters express concerns over surveillance
Several students participating in the demonstrations have said the visible use of surveillance cameras has left them feeling uneasy. Some protesters have begun covering their faces out of concern that images captured during the demonstrations could be stored and potentially used against them in the future.
A UPSC aspirant told The Indian Express that many participants were concealing their identities because they feared being profiled while preparing for government jobs.
Concerns have also been raised about how long the footage collected during the protests will be retained. According to another senior police officer quoted in the report, there is no fixed timeline for deleting the recordings, particularly if they may later be required for an investigation.
The surveillance measures have also become the subject of a legal challenge. A petition before the Delhi High Court argues that continuous monitoring of protesters infringes upon their rights to privacy and peaceful assembly. Delhi Police, however, has told the court that videography at the protest site is being conducted solely to maintain law and order and ensure public safety, not for surveillance purposes, according to the report.
