India
oi-Ashish Rana
The Delhi Police’s facial recognition during the students protests at Jantar Mantar has come under scrutiny after record flagged 25 people who were already in jail at the time when they were detected at Jantar Mantar protest. Now this result has questioned the identification and now even police has said that action will be taken without further verification.
Delhi Police’s facial recognition system identified 2,873 people during Jantar Mantar protests, including 25 individuals found to be in jail at the time, raising accuracy concerns. The Supreme Court permitted police action against those identified, distinguishing between protesters and those involved in serious offenses.
2,873 People Identified During Protest
According to a report of Indian Express, the facial recognition system was deployed during the protest at Jantar Mantar between 20 July to 26 July. The affidavit submitted by Delhi Police to Supreme Court on 17 August, the police identified 2873 people whose identities matched the records available in Delhi police database.
Out of 2873 cases, around 2402 cases came through the police biometric database known as ‘crime kundli’, while 471 were found through criminal records.
However, the police affidavit itself not establish that 2873 people have committed offences during the protest. It also did not clarify that those listed are accused, convicted persons or people just named in criminal cases.
25 People Were Reportedly Behind Bars
An investigation of police, prison and court records have found that 25 people facing serious allegations were in Delhi’s Tihar, Mandoli or Rohini prison complexes when Delhi Police facial recognition system flagged them at Jantar Mantar.
In 17 out of 25 are the people who faced murder charges, while four are facing rape charges that also includes the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, the remaining four are accused in attempt-to-murder charges.
In 25 identified, 21 were flagged on 25 July protest, three were identified on 24 July protest, while one on 26 July.
One of those identified was Yogesh alias Raju, who was arrested in connection with the murder of South Delhi gym owner Nadir Shah. Police records describe him as an alleged sharpshooter linked to the syndicates of Lawrence Bishnoi and Hashim Baba.
Police Say Facial Recognition Is Only the First Step
Although, Delhi Police has defended its process and said that facial recognition match is not just a result in legal action.
“During the protests, 2873 individuals identified as prima facie having criminal antecedents were spotted. However, further verification in this regard is pending.”
Police has said that now officers will conduct ‘field verification’ to check whether an identified person was actually present at the protest before taking action against them.
The further investigation becomes important because facial recognition systems can produce incorrect matches. Factors such as lighting, camera angle, image quality, masks, algorithms and the database used for comparison can affect results. Delhi Police had previously disclosed through an RTI response that it considered an 80 per cent accuracy level a “positive” match.
Supreme Court Allows Action, But Questions Remain
The Supreme Court has recently withdrawal FIRs connected with the students protests while allowing Police to continue their cases against 2873 people. The court has clearly said that ordinary people who joined the protest are free but the individuals who involved in serious offences or property damage will be under the radar.
