NCR has a new underbelly and it is violent

The Khoda area at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, which erupted on Sunday night, could well be described as the Dharavi of the National Capital Region [NCR]. According to police records, at least 279 'proclaimed bad characters' inhabit this area, which touches Phase III of Mayur Vihar on the Delhi side and the Indirapuram area of Ghaziabad and Sector 62 of Noida on the Uttar Pradesh side.

This peculiar location of Khoda has always helped criminals, as they benefit from the dispute over jurisdiction of crime by police from different police forces. On Sunday night too, the Delhi Police waited in vain for their counterparts from Uttar Pradesh to arrive to control the situation on their side. 'It was a peculiar situation. On being chased, the miscreants would escape into Uttar Pradesh, where we could not follow them. Thereafter, they would regroup and again attack the Delhi Police personnel,' said Dharmendar Kumar, special commissioner [law and order]. 

According to the Delhi Police sources, several emergency calls were made by the Delhi police officials to the Uttar Pradesh Police brass, but it did not yield any results. The first police person to arrive from Uttar Pradesh was the station house officer [SHO] of Indirapuram police station, who visited the spot around noon on Monday. When the media asked why the Uttar Pradesh police was not seen when the rioting was taking place, the SHO said his force was quietly combing the area. 

However, the fact of the matter is that even in ordinary times, the police officials find it difficult to enter this huge settlement, which qualifies as a typical case of being the NCR's underbelly. 

On Monday, the Delhi Police registered two cases against unknown people for rioting, attempt to murder and arson. The police have also arrested 13 people in the violence, in which a man was killed after rumours spread that a youth died after an accident at a vehicle-checking picket. The violence erupted after a young two-wheeler rider Kamaruddin was grievously injured at the Mayur Vihar picket. Sources said that Kamruddin has a criminal record and was drunk at the time of the incident.