‘Did my duty as mother, responsible cop’: All you need to know about surveillance misuse allegations against Kiran Bedi

Former Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry and former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Kiran Bedi responded to a report published by The News Minute on Monday, accusing her of surveillance misuse, privacy violation, and withholding of evidence.

“When my daughter was being innocently targetted and trapped 22 years ago, I requested police to save an innocent life. Police did their duty, I did mine as a mother,” Bedi told TOI.

Allegations against Kiran Bedi

The report alleges that the former IPS officer “used her official connections within Delhi Police to mount an aggressive surveillance operation” on her 20-year-old daughter and a hotelier in central Delhi with whom she was allegedly in a relationship, in 2003.

The report alleged that Bedi's surveillance violated the privacy of both her daughter and her partner. Furthermore, the report also alleged that during the surveillance operation, a possible lead in connection to the 2003 sexual assault case of a Swiss diplomat was discovered. However, “this lead was never communicated to those investigating the assault,” the report said.

Other allegations made in the report

The report also alleged that Bedi's daughter's alleged partner was involved in an “unscrupulous money-making scheme that involve people who sought international visas, for which they leveraged Kiran Bedi's public profile”.

Despite knowing about the questionable practices used in the visa business, police did not take formal legal action against the couple, the report added.

The report claimed that while Bedi had objected to her daughter’s involvement in the alleged visa dealings, she was concerned that any investigation into her daughter might cause irreparable harm to her future.

The report further alleges that the emails and tapes indicate “a decorated police officer used her power and influence to settle a sordid personal affair”.

What was the report based on

The report was based on emails and cassette tapes accessed by The News Minute. These emails were between Bedi and a close confidant and Bedi and a private detective agency. At the time the surveillance was carried out, Bedi was in New York, having been appointed as the civilian police advisor to the United Nations peacekeeping department.

Bedi's response on unlawful surveillance

The former IPS officer defended her actions and said she only did her duty as a mother. When asked the need for surveillance, she told TOI that “this watch saved my daughter from the clutches of a devious man who was using her knowing I was out of the country. I am grateful to police and my friends for supporting me in this time of crisis”.

Calling her decisions as that of a concerned mother and a responsible police officer, Bedi said, “Police exist for appropriate legal interventions in situations which cannot be handled by oneself. This lawful intervention to watch over my daughter was a request from an anguished mother and a copy on duty.”

On violation of privacy

Hitting back at the report, Bedi said she wasn't the one to breach someone's privacy and questioned The News Minute instead. “A few months ago my email was hacked. I lodged a report with the Crime Branch then. Now, this needs to be investigated,” she said.

She questioned the legality of how her emails were accessed by The News Minute and asked, “Under which law did they break into my email account? Who gave them the permission to invade my privacy?”

On withholding evidence

When questioned about the alleged lead uncovered in the Swiss diplomat sexual assault case, she said, “I have no idea. I only asked police to rescue my daughter and nothing more.”

Bedi suggested that the timing of the report is questionable, pointing out that her daughter has been appearing in a family court for the past six years, in a case involving the man she later married. “It appears that this timing could have been designed by someone who did not succeed in getting the decision her husband was striving for,” Bedi said.

What is the Swiss diplomat case

On October 15, 2003, a Swiss diplomat posted in Delhi was tortured and sexually assaulted in her own Qualis car after being abducted from Siri Fort. The case was never solved despite a massive manhunt launched by the police.