By Tuesday morning (September 22, 2026), sections of Astha Kunj Park had been cordoned off with police tape, marking the spot where a 17-year-old was gang-raped by three men posing as policemen the previous evening. The usually busy park appeared unusually quiet, with fewer people taking the shortcuts they routinely use to cross between neighbourhoods.
For residents, the incident has brought shock and disbelief, but also deepened long-standing concerns about safety in the sprawling green space, particularly after dark.
The 200-acre park is not merely a recreational space in southeast Delhi. It is also a thoroughfare, with residents using it to get from one side of the neighbourhood to another. Gate No. 7, through which the teenager and her 17-year-old friend entered, is around 500 metres from Kalkaji Mandir, which the two had visited shortly before the alleged assault.
The park was conceived about 24 years ago as a landscaped green space connecting three prominent religious sites in the area — Kalkaji Mandir, the ISKCON temple and the Lotus Temple. It now has 29 gates, according to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which is responsible for the park. Large stretches of its perimeter, however, remain open, broken or without conventional gates, residents said.
There is also confusion over the park’s closing time. Some residents said they understood it to remain open only until 7 p.m., while the Delhi Tourism website lists its timings as 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. The alleged assault took place between about 7.30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Monday, according to the police.
The multiple access points and open stretches of the boundary, residents said, make it difficult to monitor who enters and leaves the park.
‘Sense of dread’
“Even as a guy, I have to turn around and see if there is nobody following or stalking me. That’s the feeling,” said Gautam (name changed on request), a resident of Greater Kailash-I who lives about a kilometre from the park and regularly jogs there.
“It is in the heart of South Delhi. Kailash Colony market, N Block market and residential areas are all within a kilometre. It is considered such a good place, so it is shocking to hear about such an incident,” he said.
Yet, he said, the park has long had a different reputation after dark, with residents reporting the presence of people consuming alcohol and drugs, instances of people carrying knives and stretches where patchy lighting leaves the area completely dark.
Mr. Gautam said police patrolling was visible at night, but during the day the park was deserted with little visible security presence.
Multiple cases of robbery
For another resident, the latest incident revived a personal memory of being robbed inside the park more than a decade ago. Atush Kumar (name changed on request), who lived in Sant Nagar behind the park in 2013, said Astha Kunj was then a common shortcut for residents travelling from Kalkaji Metro station towards Sant Nagar.
It was his birthday when he took the route one evening. His friends were waiting at home to cut a cake. By the time he reached his flat, his T-shirt was torn and he was shaken.
He recalled being confronted by a group of men carrying knives, who threatened and robbed him of his belongings. Even a phone he had bought only a few days earlier was taken, he said. His college identity card was the only item left with him.
The latest incident has now changed the way some residents view a space that had been part of their everyday routine.
Reena (name changed on request), whose children used to go to the park to play in the evenings, said she would no longer feel comfortable sending them there.
“I used to encourage my daughters to go out and play, but now I don’t think I will be okay with them going there, at least for some time. I can’t be at peace knowing they aren’t safe there,” she said.
Security infrastructure around the park is another concern. A guard room near the entrance by the Nehru Place Metro station lies abandoned, residents said, and has effectively become a dumping spot for waste.
This was not an isolated case in the park. On June 26, 2026, two men robbed and attacked two U.S. nationals at knifepoint.
The DDA, however, said security arrangements were in place. It said the park covers approximately 142.10 acres and has 29 gates, including wicket gates, with nine security guards deployed on each shift at strategic locations, along with supervisory and patrolling arrangements.
The agency said lighting installations were functional and regularly inspected, and that it maintained coordination with the Delhi Police on security, law and order and prevention of unauthorised activities. Security concerns had also been taken up with the police on several occasions for enhanced patrolling and preventive measures, it said.
Following Monday’s (September 21, 2026) incident, the DDA said it had reviewed and further strengthened security arrangements and was assessing manpower and deployment requirements in view of the park’s size and 29 access points. Coordination with the Delhi Police would also be strengthened for enhanced patrolling and a quicker response to suspicious activity or emergencies.
For residents, however, the latest incident has turned an old concern into a more immediate fear: whether a park that serves as a shortcut and recreation space by day can also feel safe when the crowds thin out and the light fades.
Published – September 23, 2026 01:02 am IST
