Even though Delhi is on high alert, specially during the festival season, the famous markets are not safe enough to go shopping. No cops could be found in their assigned posts in the market premises.
Recently, five Indian Mujahideen terrorists have been nabbed from different parts of the country who confessed that they were planning terrorist attacks in crowded Delhi markets during festive season. But obviously, Delhi police seem to ignore such intelligence.
To find out the security arrangements in Sarojini Nagar market in south Delhi, Millennium Post visited the market on three consecutive days. On the one hand, the station head officer [SHO] of Sarojini Nagar police station said, ‘We have deployed about 45 cops, including the police force from the neighbouring police stations. Each of the cop has been specially instructed to be active during their duty hours. There are also copsin civilian clothes. These cops have been asked to check the visitors randomly.’
But none of these policemen could be found at their posts.
Also, a senior police official said, ‘Around 25 CCTV cameras have been installed inside the market and recently they have been repaired and individually checked by the authorities concerned. Regular monitoring is done on the footages recorded by these cameras.’ But Millennium Post found about half a dozen non-functional cameras. ‘None of the cameras have been repaired. After 2005, only a few cameras have been installed, but are not maintained,’ said Dheeraj, a shopkeeper.
There is a control room inside the Sarojini Nagar police station, and a person is authorised to keep a check on the footages of CCTV camera installed in the market area. But when Millennium Post asked the SHO to show the room, he asked some clerk to clean the room and make it ready!
There are many entrances to reach the main Sarojini Market. And in theory all these entrances should be manned by a police. But neither policeman nor metal detectors could be found.
Parking area is another disaster waiting to happen. The vehicles are not checked with inverted mirror detectors. In fact Millennium Post saw mirror detectors lying abandoned.
When Deputy Commissioner of Police [south], Chhaya Sharma, was contacted to inform about the security lapse in the Sarojini Nagar market, she refused to comment.
There was a bomb attack in Sarojini Nagar market in 2005, killing about 65 persons and injuring more than 250 people.
Recently, five Indian Mujahideen terrorists have been nabbed from different parts of the country who confessed that they were planning terrorist attacks in crowded Delhi markets during festive season. But obviously, Delhi police seem to ignore such intelligence.
To find out the security arrangements in Sarojini Nagar market in south Delhi, Millennium Post visited the market on three consecutive days. On the one hand, the station head officer [SHO] of Sarojini Nagar police station said, ‘We have deployed about 45 cops, including the police force from the neighbouring police stations. Each of the cop has been specially instructed to be active during their duty hours. There are also copsin civilian clothes. These cops have been asked to check the visitors randomly.’
But none of these policemen could be found at their posts.
Also, a senior police official said, ‘Around 25 CCTV cameras have been installed inside the market and recently they have been repaired and individually checked by the authorities concerned. Regular monitoring is done on the footages recorded by these cameras.’ But Millennium Post found about half a dozen non-functional cameras. ‘None of the cameras have been repaired. After 2005, only a few cameras have been installed, but are not maintained,’ said Dheeraj, a shopkeeper.
There is a control room inside the Sarojini Nagar police station, and a person is authorised to keep a check on the footages of CCTV camera installed in the market area. But when Millennium Post asked the SHO to show the room, he asked some clerk to clean the room and make it ready!
There are many entrances to reach the main Sarojini Market. And in theory all these entrances should be manned by a police. But neither policeman nor metal detectors could be found.
Parking area is another disaster waiting to happen. The vehicles are not checked with inverted mirror detectors. In fact Millennium Post saw mirror detectors lying abandoned.
When Deputy Commissioner of Police [south], Chhaya Sharma, was contacted to inform about the security lapse in the Sarojini Nagar market, she refused to comment.
There was a bomb attack in Sarojini Nagar market in 2005, killing about 65 persons and injuring more than 250 people.