Profiling of poor and homeless in Delhi, is it legal?

The Delhi police is profiling poor and homeless people living in the capital of India by taking their photographs and fingerprints.   This move came after two beggars have been found to be involved in eight theft cases in south Delhi’s posh localities. At the beginning of this year, the New York Police Department (NYPD) was accused of profiling homeless people illegally.

According to reports, for curbing beggars from getting away with crimes, the Delhi police is profiling poor and homeless people living in the capital of India by taking their photographs and fingerprints.  

The Hindustan Times report claimed that there are 500 people living in footpaths and under the flyovers in Delhi who would be rounded up and will be subjected to this exercise in its first round. 

While Delhi police believe that this will make it easy to trace people involves in theft, burglaries and other crime, but human right activists are saying that this will brand the poor and homeless without any evidence. 

Taking to the national daily, human rights activist Indu Prakash Singh, argued that only for one responsible for such an act, the whole lot can not be considered responsible, and also that since Delhi police are not accountable to local government hence they 'do whatever they want.' He also stated that "Police are hand-in-glove with criminals."

At the beginning of this year, the New York Police Department (NYPD) was accused of profiling homeless people illegally in an attempt to move them from streets to shelters. But, the human rights activists and advocates of homeless people in the city argued that people living in streets could not be targeted as they haven't broken any law. 

A complaint was also filed with the New York City's Civil Rights Commission against NYPD for targeting the people living on the street. 

In Delhi, this move came after two beggars have been found to be involved in eight theft cases in south Delhi’s posh localities. Both of them are in judicial custody at present. 

But, the human rights activists are doubtful whether this stand alone incidence is enough for the massive profiling of poor and homeless people in the city.