Dreaded 1km stretch

INDORE: With sunset, the 1-km long stretch from Rani Sati to Lantern crossing too plunges into darkness due to lack of street lights. The stretch turns into a hideout for anti-social element and molesters.
“On this less than a km stretch of road, I was stalked and followed all along many times,” said a girl student on the condition of anonymity. She added, “Once I had to hit a stalker with my umbrella.I screamed and a security guard from a nearby office rushed to my help.”
Another student Aditi Gupta said more often bike-borne boys intentionally drive along the sides of the roads when they see girls walking. “Many of my friends have been abused and harassed,” said Aditi.
She added, “The absence of lights in the first few meters of Dhenu Market makes it a creepy road when it’s dark.”
Incidents point towards lack of safety of boys too. Aditya Gupta, a school student while going through Yeshwant Niwas Road was once attacked by four men. He said, “I was going on my bike when I was stopped by four men who hit me, robbed me and took away my wallet and cellphone. Even though I screamed, no one came to my help.”
The stretch has bungalows of majority of servicemen. Moreover, the campus of the Oriental Bank of Commerce is a vulnerable place too. “A possible reason might be the presence of a liquor shop in the area,” said Priya Tripathi, a college student, adding that street lights should be installed in such areas.
Tukoganj police station in charge Manoj Ratnakar said night patrolling van is pressed into service from late afternoon itself. “And in case if there is any unsavory incident, anybody can call us,” he said adding that there was no complaint yet as such.