The launch of facial recognition technology at two Indian airports and plans to place it in police stations have stoked fears over privacy and increased surveillance among human rights groups in the country.

The "paperless biometric technology" launched in Bengaluru airport this week identifies passengers by their face, doing away with the need to present boarding passes, passports and other identity documents, according to a statement from the airport in India's tech capital.

Another airport in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad is also testing facial recognition technology this month.