Dilshad Garden remains poorly lit, lacks CCTVs

Locals on Friday said the 16- acre DDA park is now a “den for drug addicts and petty criminals”. Further, they said there’s hardly any police presence or security on site.

A day after a 23-year-old man was stabbed to death inside Deer Park in east Delhi’s Dilshad Garden, locals and visitors alleged the park remains poorly lit, with no CCTV cameras or guards, making it is an unsafe spot in the locality after dark.

Locals said they fear staying in the park beyond 5pm (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The deceased, Viresh Rathore, worked as a salesman at a CCTV showroom in Ghaziabad’s Sahibabad. He had gone to the park with his female friend after work when four persons, including two juveniles, armed with sharp weapons tried to snatch the woman’s bag. When Rathore attempted to intervene,the accused allegedly slit his throat and stabbed him repeatedly on his abdomen and chest. Police had told HT that a security guard is deployed in the park during the evening.

Locals on Friday said the 16- acre DDA park is now a “den for drug addicts and petty criminals”. Further, they said there’s hardly any police presence or security on site.

Upon visiting the park on Friday, HT saw empty benches and joggers leaving the area after daytime. The park lacks basic safety infrastructure: no locking system on the visitors’ gate and no cameras. The pole lights, mostly covered by huge trees, hardly provided any light to the stretches.

HT also spotted a pink booth for women’s safety inside the park, but it was open and empty. The Delhi Police in 2021 had set up pink booths across the city to help women in filing complaints.

A 22-year-old local, who studied in a school close to the park, said, “We now know who these people are. We stay away. I can never think of visiting the park in the evening as we see drug addicts during that time. A few months back, they approached my younger brother for money and they threatened him with a blade. He got very scared as he didn’t have any money. They snatched his smart-watch.”

Saleem Khan, a guard at the park, told HT, “I work in the evening hours. When the incident took place, I was outside and didn’t know about the murder. I later found out. I have previously worked as a gardener in the park and have never seen cameras being installed on the premises. Even if they do, the cameras will only be covered by dense trees.”

Locals alleged that teams from nearby Seemapuri police station cover the area for patrolling around 8pm, however, only for 10 minutes and from the outside.

A senior police officer said “We do patrolling and checks at least twice a day. The area is frequented by petty criminals and we do detain suspicious persons. We are also in touch with the guards there.”

When asked about the infrastructure loopholes in the park, DDA did not comment on the matter.