Walkers, vendors say Delhi’s gang-rape park has poor lighting

New Delhi: An eerie silence hangs over the sprawling Aastha Kunj Park in southeast Delhi, where concerns over security, poor lighting and unattended access points continue to unsettle visitors, walkers and vendors days after a 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped there.

Three men -- identified as Asif, Hemant and Hemant’s brother Manish -- allegedly posed as policemen and confronted the teenage girl and her 17-year-old male friend, who were seated on a bench and enjoying a pack of chips in the park after offering prayers at the Kalkaji Mandir nearby.

The men allegedly separated the two and raped the girl in turns, police said.

Police personnel have since been seen patrolling different parts of the sprawling park, heightening security.

However, visitors and vendors say the increased deployment does little to address longstanding concerns over the lack of security guards, especially after dark; broken portions of the boundary wall that serve as unattended access points; and many isolated stretches of the park being poorly lit.

Many said security is typically strengthened only after an untoward incident and tends to ease after a few days.

A woman vendor inside the park, stationed near the spot where the alleged rape took place, told PTI that there has been increased deployment of police personnel and security guards since Monday evening.

“Police personnel and guards are now more visible in the area, but why isn’t this the norm always? Why wait for something so horrific to happen for authorities to address the fault lines? I feel scared going that way in the evening after what happened here,” she said.

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The Hans India