I don't want to be watched!

19-year-old Gayathri R from Bangalore has her hands full from Monday to Friday. Shuttling between her German classes, kathak and her regular communicative English and journalism course, hectic would be an understatement for the Koramangala resident.
Naturally, her day out with friends on Saturdays is non-negotiable. "Strictly, no studies and extra-curricular for me on Saturdays.I wake up only to go out," says Gayathri.
Tell her about the new rule by the Bangalore police to install CCTV cameras in pubs and restaurants, she reacts like any other Gen Y. "Ridiculous. Who's the police to intrude into our privacy? We are in a democracy. Not in Afghanistan.''
Not that all youngsters in the city who hit pubs and restaurants to relax indulge in "anti-social" activities. "I don't want a camera watching me all the time I'm with friends. My parents know that I go out with friends. And if they are okay with it, why should anyone else in the world have a problem?'' asks Uddhav A, an-18 year-old who is in a boarding school and comes downtown only on holidays.
Clearly, installing CCTVs is not the solution to maintaining law and order. If the Mangalore party attack last week has triggered the CCTV idea, then the men who barged into a birthday party and molested girls should be thrown behind bars forever. Why should we penalise the innocent and let the culprits go away with the mildest of punishments?
If the police argument is that CCTV cameras help them nab trouble makers, Bangaloreans would want to know how many cases have been cracked with images from CCTV cameras. The sensational Mahantesh murder is the perfect example of how effective are our CCTV cameras. The cops have never been able to nab the killers or even track the car the killers drove simply because the recorded images were poor by the cops' own admission. In fact, the CCTV at the Palace Road traffic junction could not capture any image!
Forget CCTVs in pubs for a while. There are several other steps the cops can take to maintain law and order. Eve-teasers are just about everywhere. Why can't policemen be posted in public places to ensure that girls walk in peace? Why can't autodrivers who mock female passengers be punished?
Can't Bangalore's police get their priorities right. Why must they intrude upon our privacy and disrupt our quality of life by installing CCTVs?
Sorry we don't want to be watched!