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Relief turns rogue on a rain-soaked Wednesday
Two arrested for harassing commuters and three teams formed to nab the remaining culprits, police said
Rain revelry was at its peak in the Gomti Nagar area on Wednesday when the city received bountiful rain. With instances such as people misbehaving with commuters and smashing car windows, police officials had to force them to leave.
Hundreds gathered between Hotel Taj Mahal and Sheroes Cafe in Gomti Nagar, a stretch that witnessed heavy waterlogging. Even as it continued to rain, videos shared on social media purportedly showed hooligans harassing bikers and women. Instances of people breaking car windows and wipers, breaking streetlights and shoving bikers onto the waterlogged street also came to light.
Later, cops, armed with their batons, dragged many of the hooligans off the streets.
People took to X to criticise the city authorities. “New car wash center in Lucknow. While the underpass near Hotel Taj was flooded, a group of young men decided that it was time for fun. So, they started washing cars passing by,” wrote user Dharmendra Pandey.
Responding to one such video, the Lucknow police wrote, “Cops from Gomti Nagar Police Station are present on the spot and necessary action is being taken. All people have been removed from the spot and the situation is normal.”
In one of such videos, a large group of men can be seen harassing a man and a woman on a bike. The duo, unable to maintain balance, falls of the bike even as the men splash dirty water on them.
The said video drew huge criticism from internet users. “A woman is being harassed in broad daylight in capital Lucknow. All this is happening very close to the CM’s residence. Water is being thrown on the woman; she is being pushed off the bike,” wrote Nigar Parveen on X.
Another user IP Singh wrote: “Sisters and daughters are really not safe in UP. Hooligans surrounded a girl and misbehaved with her until she was thrown off the motorcycle. This is Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar area...”
Meanwhile, police said an FIR had been registered against the incident at Gomti Nagar police station. Two accused identified on the basis of CCTV footage--Pawan Yadav and Sunil Kumar—had been arrested even as search for others continued, police said, adding three teams would investigate the issue and nab the remaining accused.
“The Lucknow police took immediate cognisance of the incident. All available video footage is being examined to identify the miscreants and three teams have been formed for this task,” said the city police commissioner in a statement.
