The park also lacks CCTVs. An RWA member from a residential society nearby said: “We have complained several times about this; we have to depend on cameras installed at society gates. We don’t send our children there at night; it’s very unsafe.” 800 metres. That’s roughly the distance between a park in Dwarka where a 19-year-old was allegedly raped by a man claiming to be a police officer, and the police station where she filed her complaint. Ten days after the incident, during which her friend was also assaulted, police are yet to make an arrest.
As reported by The Indian Express, the incident took place around 7.30 pm January 28, when the woman and her friend were at the park. She alleged they were approached by a man in khaki uniform who claimed they were indulging in obscenity and threatened to file a complaint against them. The man proceeded to intimidate the two, assault her friend, and rape her after forcing him to leave.
The Indian Express visited the park on Wednesday, and found several residents who say they have raised safety issues in the past.
The park is spread over five acres, and has a seating area, a small open gymnasium and a children’s playground.
It has three entry/exit points, and around three working streetlights in the 800-900 metre walking stretch.
Pankaj Kumar, a senior official at Nokia who lives near the park, said, “We have been complaining to the officials to get better streetlights. I often go for a night walk and it feels unsafe. We see young men drinking, and we’ve approached the police, but there’s no action. There’s a big market in front, two societies here and two schools nearby. Still, there are inadequate security.”
The park also lacks CCTVs. An RWA member from a residential society nearby said: “We have complained several times about this; we have to depend on cameras installed at society gates. We don’t send our children there at night; it’s very unsafe.”
Suchitra Sharma, a homemaker, said, “I have two daughters and I make sure that we leave the park before 5 pm. We don’t have any other space but we can’t stay there for long because there are many hooligans who drink and commit snatching. Two days back, two of my friends were targeted and their phone was snatched. There’s hardly any police presence here.”
A small office inside the park was locked during the visit. There was no guard, and the few staffers who look after the park’s upkeep leave at 5 pm.
The office is used as a nursery and also for contractors and other officers to check maintenance/gardening work.
A senior police officer in Dwarka denied the allegations regarding inadequate deployment: “We have policemen who patrol in shifts. Duty officers talk to residents and also help senior citizens. The allegations are untrue. The incident is unfortunate and our teams are looking for the criminal.”
Kamaljeet Sehrawat, the Dwarka councillor, also denied the allegations and said: “We have installed high-mast lighting at the centre of the park along with streetlights in the area. It’s a big park and lighting can be an issue but we have installed enough lights on the footpath. We hold several meetings there with senior citizens and other residents. It’s a well-maintained space. We don’t have the provision of CCTVs in parks. We have deployed a guard there. There’s always one person manning such big parks. We will look into the incident and the allegations.”
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
