Midnight cordon-and-search operations futile: Residents.

Times of India: Tomar Bin Taher: Charminar: Sunday, December 10, 2017

Terming the cordon-and-search operations, carried out in the South Zone police station limits, as a mere formality, several Old City residents claimed that the exercise served no purpose. In fact, even post the operation, they said cases of harassment and eve-teasing continue to be a regular affair in several parts of the area.

Based on documents retrieved under the Right to information Act, RTI activist Kareem Ansari, said that police failed to achieve anything major through those operations.

"The cordon-and-search was just an eyewash. Though goondaism, harassment and eve-teasing cases continue to be reported from many Old City areas, only selected Muslim pockets are being searched repeatedly by the police,'' said Ansari, who is associated with Yugantar, a city-based NGO. He also claimed that the real criminals are still moving around scot free even as the common people are being forced to suffer because of all the late night searches

While the police's move is commendable, their failure shows through when you see hotels and eateries open during late hours. Why are search operations not being carried out in such places? It seems only poor and common citizens are being checked, while the activities of financially sound or political influential people are being overlooked. Due to this, people are being disturbed and are being pushed into a state of panic," the activist said urging police to turn their attention towards these late night business establishments.

Further, some senior citizens also appealed to Bharosa and She teams to focus on areas such as Shahalibanda, Jahanuma, Charminar Bus Stand, Khurshid Jah Ki Devdi, Aliyabad, Yakutpura and others as they complained that girls students here are allegedly teased on their way to and from colleges and schools.

"Everyday the unruly youths rush inside the campus riding on their bikes, and teasing girls. When we object they harass and threaten us with dire consequences. Though the police does patrol the area, it has proved be futile as these instances continue,'' said Mustafa the watchman at the Husshaini Alam government degree college.

Stressing the futility of search operations, many like him said that those endevours by the police have only left them more disturbed.