The Delhi Police is facing a shortage of barricades (Express Archive/Representational)
The Delhi Police is facing a shortage of barricades, due to which they are often shifted from one area to another during a law-and-order situation or to control crowds. This was also the case at Netaji Subhash Place, where a 21-year-old man died on Wednesday night after his neck was slit by a wire used to bind two barricades.
According to police, two barricades from the spot were shifted to a separate location. This left just two barricades, held in place by a wire, police sources said. DCP (northwest) Aslam Khan acknowledged that the victim, Abhishek Kumar, would not have died if all four barricades were in place.
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A station house officer, who did not wish to be named, said he has written to the police headquarters and his DCP on the issue, but is yet to get the requisite number of barricades.
“There are huge markets in my area, where a lot of barricading is required, particularly from 6-9 pm. Besides, we need permanent pickets to conduct checking in residential colonies and curb crime at night. Most of the time, I shift one barricade to three-four locations in just a day,” the SHO said.
Sources said the local area beat constable is entrusted with arranging the barricades and keeping them in place with a rope or a chain. Only one portion of the road is left open for commuters.
Sources said the process of procuring barricades is carried out by the Provisioning and Logistics (P&L) unit. “It is an ongoing process, but it takes time. DCPs give us an application and we issue tenders following a nod from the PHQ. We then get them manufactured by a company,” DCP (P&L) Sharat Kumar Sinha told The Sunday Express.
In Northwest district — under which Netaji Subhash Place police station falls — sources said the DCP had demanded over 200 barricades two months ago. The district, however, is yet to get the barricades. As of now, the district has 850 barricades. Sources said other district heads have also requested for more barricades.
DCP (Shahdara) Nupur Prasad told The Sunday Express that she has requested 500 more barricades for her district. “As it is a newly formed district, we need barricades. As of now we have 526 barricades,” she said.
Except the south district — which has over 2,000 barricades — the other 13 districts have 500-1,300. The outer district has the least number of barricades, 343.