Lieutenant-Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu chairing a high-level review meeting at the L-G Secretariat on Wednesday.

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

Shimla/Chandigarh:

Haryana BJP chief Mohanlal Badoli and a singer were booked after a woman alleged that she was gang-raped by them in a hotel in Kasauli. The Himachal Pradesh Police has registered an FIR against the two men, officials said on Tuesday.

PTI reached out to Badoli but received no response.

According to the complainant, the two men made videos of the act and threatened to kill her if she disclosed the incident to anyone, they said.

The FIR, registered in Kasauli in Solan district on December 13, 2024, names Badoli and Jai Bhagwan alias Rocky. A copy of the FIR was doing the rounds on social media on Tuesday.

According to the FIR, the woman was staying in a hotel in Kasauli with her boss and friend when they met the two accused on July 3, 2023. While Badoli introduced himself as a political leader, Rocky introduced himself as a singer.

Later, the woman and her friend went into a room with the two accused, who promised to help the complainant get a government job and a chance to feature in a music video, the FIR said.

The accused allegedly forced the complainant to drink liquor. When she refused, they raped her, she said in her complaint.

They also clicked pictures and recorded videos of the act and threatened to kill the woman if she disclosed the incident to anyone, the FIR added.

The complainant further alleged that two months ago, she was called to Rocky’s house in Panchkula where the accused threatened to implicate her in a false case, police said.

Based on the woman’s complaint, police said, a case has been registered against Badoli and Rocky under sections 376 D (gang rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Representational image. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Bareilly, UP:

 Police are looking to arrest three persons, including a woman, in suspected case of gang rape of a 15-year-old girl here, officials said.

The minor girl went missing from her house on Thursday evening and she was found from under a tractor trolley on Friday with her hands and legs tied behind her.

“The family members of the minor in the police complaint have alleged that a woman of the village made the girl speak with a man over phone on Thursday evening.

“The man, also a resident of the area, called the minor to a secluded spot where he and another man gang-raped the minor,” said Circle Officer (CO) Gaurav Singh.

Later, the duo allegedly tied the hands and legs of the girl and fled from the spot. When the family members found the girl on Friday afternoon she told them about her ordeal, they said.

“Based on the police complaint we have lodged an FIR of gang rape regarding the matter. The minor identified the woman and one of the male accused.

Efforts are on to identify the third accused and arrest the trio, the CO said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Faridabad:

Haryana police have arrested two persons for allegedly gang-raping a woman in Faridabad on Sunday, officials said on Monday.

The arrested accused have been identified as Vishnu and Saroj.

“The names of Vishnu and Sanoj are among the arrested accused. Accused Vishnu is a resident of Agra and was currently living in Sanjay Enclave, Faridabad. The accused Sanoj is a resident of Parvatiya Colony,” Sube Singh, a Police spokesperson said.

According to officials, the incident took place on Sunday night.

The victim had come to the Town Park, in Sector 12 for a walk at around 8 pm. She took an auto-rickshaw from the town park to her home at around 9.45 pm.

There were no other passengers when she boarded the auto-rickshaw.

After riding for about 100 meters, the auto driver made two men sit in the vehicle and they took her to bushes near the canal crossing area and raped her.

The woman somehow managed to free herself from their clutches and ran away. She later took someone’s phone and informed the police and her family members. She was taken to a nearby police station and a case under relevant sections of the IPC was registered against the accused.

On the basis of the complaint, CCTV footage and information from secret sources, the Crime Branch police arrested two of the accused, and a hunt for the third accused was on.

Police were further looking into the case.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)