New Delhi, March 12: Allaying fears of "state surveillance", Union Home Minister Amit Shah clarified in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the Delhi Police is not using Aadhaar data to identify the culprits of Delhi violence. Shah, while responding to the debate in the Parliament's Upper House, said only driving licence and voter ID cards are being used for face identification of the alleged rioters. Amit Shah Expresses Sorrow Over Delhi Violence in Lok Sabha, Says 'Police Contained Riots in 36 Hours'.

A section of the media had, on Wednesday, misquoted Shah as saying that the Aadhaar data would also be used through the facial identification software. His remarks had created panic among netizens, with several social media users accusing the Centre of infringing upon the right to privacy of individuals. 'I Requested NSA Ajit Doval to Visit Affected Areas', Says Amit Shah.

A scrutiny of Shah's speech in Lok Sabha revealed that he had only referred to "driving license and ll other government data" and refrained from explicitly mentioning Aadhaar. Amid the ambiguity, he told the Upper House today that the biometric data collected through Aadhaar is not being used for ascertaining the identity of those who indulged in violence in North East Delhi.

"Only driving license and voter ID card is being used for face identification (of the culprits involved in Delhi violence). Aadhar data is not being used for it, as wrongly reported by some sections of media," Shah was reported as saying by news agency ANI.

Aadhaar Not to be Used For Face Recognition: Shah

Shah, in his speech in the Rajya Sabha, reiterated that the government would indiscriminately act against rioters, irrespective of their caste or religion. "The culprits, they may be of any religion, caste or party, they will not be spared. They will be brought before the law," the Home Minister said.

Shah also attempted to allay the concerns of the minority community over the citizenship law. "I reiterate to my Muslim brothers and sisters that false propaganda is being spread on the issue of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). This Act is not to take anyone's citizenship but to give citizenship," he added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 12, 2020 07:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).