Dadagiri in MP: Like Indore, Bhopal Colonies Too Reel Under Fear Of Goons

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The incident of goons threatening a colony residents in Indore - that prompted Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to call a high-level meeting – is not a lone case.

Such nefarious activities are sending ripples through people in the state capital as well. Almost a dozen colonies in Bhopal too are reeling under similar conditions, posing a major threat to the lives of people residing there.

Ashoka Garden area tops the list, as Subhash colony located at close quarters to the area turns into a den of hooligans, stalkers and miscreants as night falls. A bank employee, Faizal Sheikh, who resides in Subhash colony, said for women stepping out after 7 pm is no less than a heroic task as they have to brave the miscreants and eve teasers.

Almost seven out of every ten women who step out of the house here are subjected to eve teasing, molestation, stalking and lewd gestures, he added. Even the males here are not spared as the goons here carry arms with them to intimidate residents, said Sheikh.

Speaking about the police patrolling, Sheikh said as the colony is far from the Ashoka Garden police station, the cops hardly conduct checking drives here. They merely visit the place sometimes for the namesake, he added.

Ashoka Garden police station SHO Umesh Chauhan tried to cover up the issue claiming that the crime rate in Ashoka Garden area has dipped by 30 per cent as compared to the previous year.

Lalita Nagar in Kolar area is also infamous for the nefarious activities of the goons. Acts such as extortion, robbery, stalking are a routine there, said Muskaan Bajaj, a student who has recently shifted from Lalita Nagar to Chunabhatti owing to the goons’ menace.

Recalling an incident that took place almost a week ago, the student said that an unidentified person began walking close to her and singed her left hand with his cigarette. 

Other spots of Bhopal infamous for such activities include Ishwar Nagar, Mahakali society in Trilanga, besides marketplaces such as Phulwari at 10 number market and Shahpura hawkers’ street. Bhopal police commissioner Harinarayanachari Mishra could not be reached for his comment.