Image makeover: Cops to counsel Batla House UPSC aspirants

To instill fresh confidence in the youth of Jamia Nagar in south-east Delhi, and overcome the trauma attached with the Batla House encounter, senior officers of Delhi Police will counsel the students, who want to appear for the Union Public Service Commission examinations and other government vacancies.

To instill fresh confidence in the youth of Jamia Nagar in south-east Delhi, and overcome the trauma attached with the Batla House encounter, senior officers of Delhi Police will counsel the students, who want to appear for the Union Public Service Commission examinations and other government vacancies.

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The officials inaugurated a police public library-cum-counselling centre at the Jamia Nagar police station on Wednesday.

"The area has acquired a certain tag after the Batla House encounter. Even autos did not want to come to the area, thinking that they won't get their money. We haven't done enough to change the mindset of people towards this area," said Ajay Chaudhary, additional commissioner of police, south-east Delhi.

Since the Batla House encounter, there has been an erosion of trust between residents of Batla House and the Delhi Police. Locals even set ablaze the area police station after the incident.

Recently, a string of incidents, including several police raids in the area, have also alienated the local community from the police.

"The area has been depicted in a bad light. It was even on the verge of being tagged as the terror hub of Delhi . But with such initiatives the police are trying to win over the heart of locals, and that is a very good thing," said Mohammad Nishad, a student at Jamia Milia Islamia.

The opening of the library /counselling centre comes a day after the students of various universities and residents of Jamia staged a protest outside the Delhi Police headquarters. The residents said that the police were unnecessarily targeting their area.

The police, however, denied this and said that they were doing their bit by trying to engage people through the resident welfare associations.

"The library has been opened in order to inculcate a feeling of mutual trust and understanding and to bridge the gap between community and the police. Career magazines, computer education books and newspapers have been made available in the library," Chaudhary added.

Sandip Dikshit, the area member of parliament has also promised financial aid to the library from his MP fund.