Sheesh Mahal Park, where a 16-year-old girl was gang-raped by three men on December 16, shares a boundary with Shalimar Bagh police station.
Broken walls
Spread over a vast area, the park is open from three sides. The boundary wall on one side was found broken during a spot visit on Monday morning, and the barbed wire pulled down.
The park has three gates, which shut at 9 p.m. It has nearly 20 gardeners, who leave by 4.30 p.m., and is guarded by three security guards during the day and two at night.
Poor lighting and easy access due to broken boundary walls make it an ideal spot for criminal elements.
“Molestation, snatching and robbery are quite common inside the park. It turns into a den of criminals after sunset. No one visits the park after sunset except antisocial elements,” said local resident Rakesh Sharma.
Spot visit
Security guard Bipender said, “I did not hear any noise or commotion on the day of the incident. I came to know about the rape after 150 policemen turned up for a search operation at night. My colleague and I were taken for questioning, and released later.”
Besides empty liquor bottles and cigarette packets strewn in the park, a group of teens were seen consuming drugs there on Monday. A boy in school uniform said: “Everything goes on here... ganja, smack, drugs and liquor.”
Security concern
Among several instances of crime at the park recounted by the locals was an incident that allegedly happened a day after the rape.
“I walk in the park daily in the evening. A man started touching himself inappropriately in front of me on November 17. I tried to catch him but he escaped. The lights in the park are either broken or stolen by criminals,” claimed a housewife from Shalimar Bagh.
The locals rued lack of police presence in the park despite the area being located next to a police station. They claimed that many, especially senior citizens, feel unsafe taking a walk there even during the day.
