Police accused of ‘overreach’ in enforcing lockdown rules in NCR

NOIDA/GHAZIABAD: Residents and shopkeepers in the NCR cities are reporting several instances of what they call overzealous policing in which the monitor is stricter than the rule to be implemented.
In fact, in the past one week, at least three residents of Gautam Budh Nagar took to social media to complain about highhandedness against Sector 20 police. They alleged that cops manhandled and abused them over petty issues, including trying to visit the nearby grocery or a Mother Dairy outlet.
Abhijit Ghosh (48) told TOI that he was walking towards Nithari when he was stopped by cops near Sector 20/21/25/26 red light a week back. “I told them that I was going to buy milk and groceries as the shop is in Nithari area, but they manhandled me,” said the finance manager at a facility management company. Shopkeepers and dairies selling essential items also claimed cops have been asking them to shut shop by 5pm-6pm in most areas. Ghaziabad has set a time rule for vegetable and grocery rules but not Noida.
They say while the morning and evening hours are the slots when they get most customers, policemen refuse to allow them to open shops during those hours.
“We are selling essential items, like ration and milk products. We should be allowed to open the shop either between 7am and 9am or between 5pm and 7pm, which are the peak hours during when people come out to buy essential items. This timing is not suitable as both the peak time slots get missed,” said Renu Goyal, the owner of the Goyal Provision Store in Nithari market.
A shopkeeper of a ration shop in G block of Sector 20 said local police had asked them to wind up their work and shut shop by 6 pm.
When contacted, DCP (Noida) Sankalp Sharma said, “If there are some shopkeepers selling essentials saying that they aren’t allowed to function during morning and evening hours, the issue will be looked into.”
Noida is a Covid-19 red zone. Shops are not allowed to open in containment zones but outside that, they have been allowed. Economic activities are permitted between 7am and 7pm.
In neighbouring Ghaziabad, an employee of a hospital located in Raj Nagar District Centre has alleged that he was stopped by cops when he was going to the hospital with some medicines. Some cops had allegedly abused the employee.
Dr BP Tyagi, owner of the hospital, alleged that the chowki incharge of Sector 9 Raj Nagar, stopped Farmaan and asked him to show his hospital I-card. “He showed the same but the cop started threatening him that they will issue a challan and arrest him for violating the norms of lockdown and asked for a bribe of Rs 2,000 to settle the matter,” he said.
When contacted, Gajendra Singh, SHO of Sihani Gate police station, said that an inquiry has been initiated into the allegtaions. “A report will soon be submitted to the SSP,” he said.