Facial Recognition at Jantar Mantar: Allegations of mass surveillance have been leveled against the Delhi Police during the ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar. The police are conducting live facial recognition scanning.
Facial Recognition at Jantar Mantar: Delhi Police face accusations of using advanced technology to identify participants in the ongoing 'Cockroach Janata Party' (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar. Videos circulating on social media claim that the police are using AI-powered facial recognition technology to identify protesters. The CJP also shared a video on X, stating that the Delhi Police have deployed a facial recognition van to live-scan peaceful protesters, capturing biometric and personal data on-site.
Is data being extracted from Aadhaar?
While the viral videos do not explicitly mention data extraction from Aadhaar, many users have raised questions about it, asking whether the system is connected to Aadhaar or other government databases. There has been no response from the police regarding this matter so far. You can watch the video of the police monitoring below.
🚨 JANTAR MANTAR IS A PROTEST SITE, NOT A DIGITAL OPEN-AIR PRISON! 🛑
— Cockroach is Back (@Cockroachisback) July 23, 2026
Delhi Police has stationed Facial Recognition Vans to live-scan peaceful protesters. They are harvesting biometrics and extracting personal data on the spot—and we have three direct questions for the… pic.twitter.com/zCcLg3uxOE
Two vans deployed at the protest site
According to *The Indian Express*, the Delhi Police have deployed two monitoring vans near the protest site. One van receives live feeds from CCTV cameras installed around Jantar Mantar. At the same time, the other uses AI to analyze the footage and compare faces captured on camera against the police database. Officials denied that the system is being used to identify protesters; instead, they stated that it is intended to alert the police if a face with a criminal record is spotted within the crowd.
Constant Monitoring Sparks Fear Among Protesters
According to media reports, the constant police monitoring at the protest site has instilled fear among the people. Participants say they feel uncomfortable seeing cameras everywhere. Some have even started covering their faces to avoid being captured on camera. Meanwhile, the CJP has questioned under which law the police are conducting mass scanning and where the database for this is being sourced. The CJP has also asked who is storing the facial scans and for how long this data will be retained.
