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Kerala Police Look for Hidden Cameras in Hotels, Restaurants
TRIVANDRUM, Mar 18, 2010 (Khaleej Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
The Kerala police have started filtering hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and other commercial establishments for hidden camera.
Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishanan ordered the operation in the wake of arrest of a youth for allegedly placing a mobile phone camera in the ladies' toilet of a restaurant in Calicut city last week apparently to capture women in nude.
A girl student of an engineering college detected the device in the ceiling of the toilet of the restaurant on Mavoor Road. She had gone to the outlet along with her friends for lunch. After retrieving the mobile phone, she called her brother and handed over the phone to him.
This incident triggered a clash students and the hotel staff. The police, who arrived later, beat up Rahul, the brother of the engineering student, instead of arresting the culprit.
He was taken to the police station and stripped for refusing to hand over the camera to a sub-inspector.
The police officer, who was a probationer, has been suspended and cases registered against his team for allegedly torturing the complainant. The police have also arrested the restaurant employee Akhil Jose (23) for allegedly placing the mobile phone camera in the toilet.
The home minister said that the government will hold hotels, restaurants and other commercial establishments responsible for privacy of individuals visiting these places.
He has directed the police to take stern action against those violating the privacy of not only the women but also the other customers.
The Calicut district administration has already set up a special police squad to inspect hotels, restaurants, textile shops, shopping malls and other places where people gather in large numbers. The administration has also proposed a campaign in educational institutions to make the girls aware of such menace.
An all party meeting convened by Calicut district collector P.B. Salim asked the hotel and restaurant owners to take urgent steps to protect the privacy of their customers.
Leaders of women's organisations, who attended the meeting, said that the incident at the hotel was not an isolated one.
K. Ajitha, president of Anweshi Women's Counselling Centre, said rackets invading the privacy of women were active in the cities.
devasia@khaleejtimes.com
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