Noida society violence: Mahagun Moderne residents say private guards saved them

People said the police failed to assess the situation and call in adequate force to control the situation in time. Residents said there was commotion as enraged locals holding iron rods and sticks in their hands started hurling stones and damaging property.

The residents of the posh Mahagun Moderne residential society in Sector 78 have blamed the police for not being able to handle the mob that gheraoed their society leading to a riot-like situation on Wednesday morning. They said it was only because of the security guards that the violence could be contained.

Security guards stand guard outside a housing society, Mahagun Moderne, in Noida Sector 78 on Wednesday after a mob attacked the society. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

People said the police failed to assess the situation and call in adequate force to control the situation in time.

Residents said there was commotion as enraged locals holding iron rods and sticks in their hands started hurling stones and damaging property. Separate calls were made to the police demanding a heavy contingent of police force.

Sources said when the first call was made to the police around 6am, only 10-15 officials came to the spot. It was only after an hour or so that about 100 personnel reached the spot.

To control the mob of about 300 people, there were only 15-20 private security personnel and 10-15 police officials. The police personnel at the spot were requested to call in rapid action teams and quick reaction teams, but nobody turned up, residents alleged.

“Residents themselves called the inspector general of police, Meerut range and senior superintendent of police to look into the matter. The mob could have lynched the family that is accused of beating up their domestic help,” Sachdeva said.

Residents said the officers could not assess the situation because of which the situation spiralled out of control and the mob managed to barge into the society.

The chaos continued for more than three hours during which the society residents remained inside. Residents claimed the incident was pre-planned and their motive was to kill Mitul Sethi’s family. The mob alleged the Sethis had beaten up a maid and held her inside their house.

“We managed to save the family members. Glasses of their house were smashed and few household items were broken by them,” said Chetan Kumar, a resident.

However, superintendent of police (city), Arun Kumar Singh said there were over 100 police personnel at the spot and even officers from the rural range came to the spot to ensure no casualty takes place.

“We had to take many aspects into consideration while dealing with the situation and we managed to control the chaos,” Singh said.