About a month after two back-to-back incidents of assaults on residents for protesting against drinking binges at their doorsteps in AE and AK blocks, police claim to have clamped down on the growing incidence of drunken debauchery in and around the parks adjacent to the First Avenue.
In February, 34 people were arrested for creating nuisance in Salt Lake parks and 15 more were arrested for consuming alcohol inside parked cars. In March so far, 40 have already been detained from parks and cars.
Police claim most of the detained are not residents of Salt Lake. They are mostly from outskirts like Kestopur or Ultadanga, or even farther off like Titagarh or Barrackpore. Their favourite haunts are corners of BB-BC Park, AB-AC Park, BD and BC parks. Another frequented zone is the canalside.
“Of late a lot of senior citizens have been complaining about youngsters drinking alcohol or getting too cosy at various places in Salt Lake. When asked to behave they retaliated with bad behaviour and obstinate remarks. This happened usually with morning walkers or those out for a quiet stroll with friends in the evening,” he added.
Pramod Roy, a resident of BC Block, told The Telegraph Salt Lake on Wednesday: “At times one cannot walk into these parks. People kiss and fondle in public. It is very embarrassing for us. I am relieved if the police are working on it.”
Agreed Rita Burman, a resident of AC Block. “After dusk one cannot walk into these parks. There are couples literally perched on each other. It is a very distasteful ambience for both senior citizens and children who come to play in the parks.”
On February 15, a middle-aged businessman was allegedly punched by a group of men when he protested against them drinking and playing loud music outside his house. Manish Saraogi, a resident of AE Block, suffered a fracture in the nose and had to undergo surgery.
Four days earlier, three residents of AK Block — a lawyer, his wife and a journalist — were assaulted by four youths when they asked them not to drink in their car parked outside the elderly journalist’s house at night.
Police say they had stepped up vigil since then.
About a month back, cops from Bidhannagar North police station caught two girls, both below 18 years, and three men in a white Ambassador in the wee hours of the day. The car was parked for quite some time outside BB-BC Park, and caught the patrolling officer’s eye.
“Inside all five were in various stages of undress. The girls had nothing on below the waist. When asked what they were doing with the boys, both girls said they were cousins. We picked them up and detained them at the police station. We sent the men to custody under IPC 34 and asked the girls’ parents to come to the police station,” said a source at the thana.
The guardians told the police that the girls had left home on the pretext of attending a friend’s birthday party and had said they would be back late. All five were from New Barrackpore. They had rented a car and come to Salt Lake, to have some “fun”.
“We didn’t want to malign the girls. So we let them off this time. But such incidents have been on the rise in Salt Lake, especially on lonely stretches. After this incident came to our notice, we decided to crack down on cars parked suspiciously for long periods of time,” the source added.
