'Did my duty as a mother': Kiran Bedi on allegations of surveillance misuse

The report is based on the emails and cassette tapes involving Bedi and her confidant and a private detective agency

Kiran Bedi, former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, has responded to allegations made in a report by The News Minute that accuse her of surveillance misuse, privacy violation, and withholding of evidence.

 

The report, published online on Monday, is based on emails accessed by The News Minute and alleges that Bedi used “official connections within the Delhi Police to mount an aggressive surveillance operation” on her 20-year-old daughter Saina and a hotelier named Gopal Suri in central Delhi. Saina was allegedly in a relationship with the hotelier.

 

Responding to the allegations, Bedi told TOI that she had approached the police 22 years ago to protect her daughter, whom she believed was being innocently targeted and trapped. She added that the police did their duty and she did hers as a mother.

 

 

The report also claims that Saina and Suri were allegedly involved in an “unscrupulous” money-making scheme involving individuals seeking international visas, leveraging Bedi’s public profile in the process.

 

The material cited in the report includes emails and cassette tapes involving Bedi, her confidant, and a private detective agency.

 

Here’s what happened in 2003

 

According to the report, the surveillance was carried out in 2003 when Bedi was posted in New York, having been appointed as the civilian police advisor to the United Nations peacekeeping department. The report claims 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.

 

Bedi allegedly responded both as a parent and a police officer—mobilising a group of friends to help keep an eye on her daughter. Speaking to TOI, she said she was grateful to the police and her friends who supported her during the crisis. She added that this intervention helped save her daughter from a man who was exploiting her.

 

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,” and that the surveillance violated the privacy of both Gopal Suri and Saina. The police’s role has also come under scrutiny, with the report suggesting that despite being aware of the questionable visa-related practices of the two, no formal action was taken.

 

Refuting the allegations, Bedi stated that her actions reflected those of a concerned mother and a responsible officer. She added that the police are there for appropriate legal intervention in situations beyond an individual’s control.

 

She also questioned the legality of the access obtained by The News Minute, asking under what law her emails were accessed and who authorised the breach of her privacy.

 

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. She implied that the report may have been timed or instigated by someone who failed to obtain the outcome her daughter’s husband had been seeking.