ts location in the midst of a residential area, with a police booth right next to one of its two entrances, could not prevent the Ranhola park from becoming the site of the horrific rape of a two-and-a-half year old girl.
Though it is yet to be established if the ‘Talaab Wala’ park was where the ghastly act was committed, or if it was where the girl was abandoned, what has been learnt is that no authority claims responsibility for the upkeep or security of the “public place”.
Locals say that not just on Friday night, which is when the girl was dumped here, but on any given day the police booth is deserted place and beat patrolling is almost non-existent.
Footage from CCTV cameras has shown the suspect duo with the girl near the park almost an hour before she was found dumped. This suggests that the girl may have been lying there unnoticed for anywhere between a few minutes to an hour.
Police, meanwhile, cited the busy festival season for the absence of beat policemen in the area.
None of the civic agencies have been authorised to maintain the park, which has been here for years. The park is called ‘Talaab Waala’ as it came up after the pond there fell pray to the rapid urbanisation around. Residents say the park got a makeover after the current MLA, Mahender Yadav, initiated redevelopment work here and got lights and new gates installed.
But according to Mr. Yadav, till the redevelopment work is finished the park cannot be handed over to any other department for maintenance, effectively meaning that nobody can control access after 10 p.m. — after which anti-social elements drink in the park, according to locals.
Also on the night of the crime, both gates were left open by the contractor who has been engaged to organise an event here, said Mr. Yadav.
“After the redevelopment work we will hand over the park to the Irrigation and Flood Control Department of the Delhi government,” he added.
A signboard outside the park warns visitors that they will be prosecuted if they litter, but the question of “by whom” remains unanswered.
After the redevelopment work we will hand over the park to the Irrigation and Flood Control Department of the Delhi government
