Narrow escape for cops as ceiling collapses

Greater Noida: Cops at the Kot village police chowki under Dadri police station had a narrow escape when a major portion of the ceiling collapsed on Monday night due to continuous seepage of rainwater.
While police officers claimed that no one was staying there, the video of the incident, in possession with TOI, showed the chowki had a bed, three fans, a small water cooler and a constable in his undergarments suggesting that it was very much habitable.
The Kot police chowki was initially a dharamshala, which was later handed over to Gautam Budh Nagar police as donation by the owners and since then, the post has been running there. ACP Satish Kumar told TOI that the two sub inspectors and four constables posted at the chowki had been given space to stay in some rooms in a company office in the neighbourhood.
“The policemen posted here have been given rooms in a company office, which is in the neighbourhood and no one was staying inside the chowki at the time of the incident. A part of the ceiling fell off due to the seepage caused by rains,” he said.
However, sources said when the incident happened, one of the constables had just exited the chowki and escaped injuries.
Police said a proposal for setting up of a new police chowki in Kot village is pending with the district administration. “A proposal had gone to the gram sabha for identifying land for setting up of a new police post last year, and it is pending with the sub-divisional magistrate who has to demarcate land for the same,” an official said.
Meanwhile, the incident brought to fore the problem of old and deteriorating buildings, which are being used as police posts.