Nadia police use drones to track law violators in the areas near Indo-Bangla border during lockdown

Biswabrata Goswami

KRISHNAGAR, 26APRIL: Police forces in Nadia district are deploying a new anti-crime weapon in their armoury—to fight the coronavirus.

Whether in the areas near India-Bangladesh border or in local markets in the towns, police forces are increasingly turning to drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to surveil populations and prevent the buildup of crowds during the month-long lockdown.

In a bid to ensure strict implementation of the lockdown in Nadia, police are taking the help of drones to track down people who violate norms.

“It has become a regular part of policing. In the current lockdown, we are flying drones over places where we suspect violations of the lockdown can occur. We identify those places and ensure that police are deployed and those who violate the lockdown are booked. It is a great tool in situations where physical contact is to be avoided or minimized,” said a senior police officer in Krishnagar.

At least four drones are being used in the air-surveillance and when we use them, they send visuals of areas captured by them directly to our control office, which alert police on the possible violation of norms, the police officer said.

“We have so far arrested more than hundred people who violated lockdown rules and seized several motor-cycles”, he added.

“Drones give us a bird’s eye view of who is defying the lockdown in the narrow alleys and lanes where a PCR van cannot go in. We have repeatedly appealed to citizens to stay in, but despite that, many are defying the lockdown," said a senior police official, who did not wish to be named.

According to the police, drones are very useful in the areas near the India-Bangladesh border. The Nadia district shares 265 kilometers of international border with Bangladesh. In Tehatta sub-division, it shares 95 kilometers with Bangladesh. So, apart from human surveillance, air-surveillance through drones is very much useful to track the law violators.

“Drones backed by advanced analytics can play a vital role in the containment of the virus in India. Obviously this also raises significant concerns related to citizen privacy. A balance will need to be struck within a robust framework that recognizes citizen rights while seeking community welfare,” said Himadri Biswas, a high school teacher in Tehatta.

Images from Rana