Private moments are back again at Lodhi Garden

NEW DELHI: Lovers have a free run of Lodhi Garden again with no one invading their privacy and harassing them or extorting money. Things have eased up after a TOI report in April drew attention to the plight of couples catching a private moment in the park.
Gardeners working there had said that policemen in mufti had planted spies at the garden to keep an eye out for lovers.When alerted, they would move in and harass couples for money. They even asked for phone numbers of the girls. Refusal to pay up meant a beating. Benches were placed by the walls and screens with holes placed on the wire fencing to facilitate peeping from outside. "But nobody is troubling them anymore. We haven't seen those policemen since the article was published. Two women constables have also been posted at the gates," said a gardener. When police had been asked about this issue in April, they'd denied any knowledge of it saying they'd received no complaints.
"You can't expect these young kids to complain," said Suhar Borker, founder member of Green Circle, which had taken up the issue with senior officials in the Delhi government. "Vigilance has to be more proactive. But the rogue cops seem to have disappeared at least for now," he added. They've been replaced by a new set. "Based on the news report, we completely changed the beat staff of the area and have posted two lady constables in Lodi Garden who are on duty from the time the garden opens till closing time," said additional DCP (New Delhi) Seju P. Kuruvilla. Now couples can have their private chats under the almost maternal care of constables Suman and Reema, posted at Lodi Garden from April-end. Head constable Yashpal Singh has drawn up a list of staff members and accosts the voyeurs when he sees them. "We don't interfere with anyone, not authorized to do that. Visitors see us in uniform and automatically behave well," says Suman. Lodi Garden hasn't had women cops in a very long time, she adds.
Once the garden staff realized that the old set of cops weren't coming back, they removed the screens made of plastic sheets and moved the benches away from the walls to the open areas inside, where they used to be. The voyeurs - some of them paid by 'cops' to keep watch, say the staff - still come. "The cops have been moved, but they probably didn't let their dalals know. And there are the regular ones too. I could identify them," said one gardener.
Lodhi Garden had seen similar incidents about a few years ago, but the latest spate started about four months back. The number of people going to Lodhi Garden had declined and during the cooler months when most couples visit, the garden had a slack period. The park isn't exactly buzzing with activity now either. A staff member attributes this to the heat. "But there's a distinct changeover," says Borker.
"Ab dheela chal raha hai (we're having a slack period)," says a gardener, "Par sukh-shanti hai (There's peace and happiness)."