After the controversy deepening over the positioning of CCTV cameras in and around the trial rooms of shops and malls across the country, an alert has also been sounded to the district administration as well. Ranchi Municipal Corporation has become more vigilant in this regard. Four employees of a leading store were arrested by the Goa Police on Friday after the Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani lodged a complaint against the CCTV camera peeping into the trial room of the store.
“I have told the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) and the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) officials to be more vigilant on the issue and assure that the CCTV cameras in the stores and malls are not even placed facing towards the trail rooms,” said Ranchi SSP Prabhat Kumar. Role of police comes after the matter is put to our notice regarding positioning of cameras at any objectionable location with an ulterior motive, he added.
Tightening its belt to check Goa like incident in Ranchi, District Administration of the State capital Ranchi are planning to make a certificate issued by the Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) mandatory for any store. After getting an alert from the district Police it is to conduct an all-round survey of the CCTV locations in all the major shops and malls soon.
“We will soon be conducting spot verification of shops and malls to check whether the locations and directions of the CCTV cameras are in accordance to the provisions of law without hindering anyone’s privacy,” said SDO Amit Kumar. Moreover, we are also planning to make it mandatory for every shop or mall to get a certificate from the Federation of Jharkhand and Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) after getting it verified by them, added the SDO.
FJCCI President Ratan Modi on the other hand, holding a meeting with its members has asked the members to assure that the CCTV cameras in their establishments have been put at the right direction and position. A store manager’s of a renowned mall in the state capital however, positioning of CCTV cameras around the trail rooms are not always done with an ulterior motive.
“It is generally placed around the trial room to safeguard the belongings of a customer while taking trial of clothes. There have been several instances that someone’s valuables have been stolen as soon he comes out to show the fitting to his co-customer,” said the manager requesting anonymity. Besides that, it also helps in checking any mischievous or any obscene activity by the young couples in and around the trial rooms, added the manger.
According to the police, CCTV camera’s installed in and around the trail room facing towards it may be called an offensive act under section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of IPC, 354-C (Voyeurism) and 509 (intruding privacy) of IPC and Section 66-E (punishment for violation of privacy) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.