Cops swing into action, CCTV pole moved away from war memorial

Police authorities on Sunday removed the CCTV camera pole they had erected right next to the war memorial in JC Nagar. Credit: DH Photo

Acknowledging the controversy over the "disfigurement" of the Mysore Lancers Memorial, police authorities on Sunday removed the CCTV camera pole they had erected right next to the war memorial in JC Nagar, North Bengaluru.

The century-old obelisk commemorates the sacrifices of 26 soldiers from the erstwhile princely state of Mysore in World War I. Conservationists have been campaigning for expanding the memorial. The Department of Archaeology, Heritage and Museums is considering a proposal to declare the memorial a state-protected monument, which would bar all construction within 100 metres of the place.

The police, however, erected a CCTV pole mounted with a junction box within touching distance of the memorial, showing disregard for the heritage. This was part of the Bengaluru Safe City Project, under which 7,500 CCTV cameras are being installed across the city.

Taking exception to the "disfigurement", the director of the archaeology department wrote to the traffic police chief, requesting that the pole be moved at least 100 metres away.

Vinayak Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), had told DH on Saturday that they were open to rectify the mistake, if any. Accordingly, the pole was removed on Sunday morning.