Scared residents in Rohtak instal iron gates in colonies

In the wake of the violence during the recent Jat agitation for reservation, residents of various colonies here have started installing iron gates at the entry points as a security measure for future.

During the agitation, when the administration and police went missing, residents stayed awake during nights and sat out in large numbers to guard their colonies.

Sanjay Ahuja, a resident of Sector 1, stayed awake for three nights, along with his neighbours, when the violent protests were on.

Scared of the proximity of their house to the violence-hit area, he said, the residents decided to instal iron gates in their colonies at that time only. “We have decided to instal eight gates to cover four streets and the construction has already begun. The whole incident made us very worried about our safety as the police had gone missing when they were needed the most,” he said.

TO HIRE SECURITY GUARDS

Ahuja said they had collected Rs 10,000 from each house for the iron gates, which according to him, would have an estimated cost of Rs 50,000 each. “We will also hire 10 security guards to work in day and night shifts,” he added.

Another resident of the area, Vijay Dhingra, said they were thinking of installing gates long ago. However, due to lack of cooperation from other people, they could not go ahead. “Two tractor-trailers carrying anti-social elements had tried to enter Sector 1 during the stir. We were unitedly guarding our colony and that’s why they went away. We were so close of getting attacked. So now, we have to do this for our safety, irrespective of whether other households agree or not,” Dhingra said.

Similar sentiment prevails everywhere as residents feel a threat hovering over their security, after they witnessed big showrooms being vandalised and set ablaze by the violent mob.

CCTV CAMERAS

While some colonies have been holding meetings to maintain peace, others have planned to instal CCTV cameras, besides gates.

In DLF colony, the construction of five gates has already begun, including one gate at the side of Pappu Bakery, which was ravaged by the mob. Besides, the residents have also decided to instal two CCTV cameras at each entry point to deal with their security concerns.

A resident of the colony, Rajiv Bhatia said: “The recent incidents have left us scared to the core. We were told by the police that our safety was in our own hands, so now we are taking our own steps. One can never predict about a mob, they can cross all barriers like they did in all the big showrooms. That’s why we are making sure that our gates are strong and unbreakable, and taking more security measures such as CCTV cameras.”

Bhatia said they were facing problems as some of their neighbours were not ready to spend money on such security measures. However, he said, others were desperate to have gates and were ready to contribute.