BENGALURU: Cubbon Park has a reputation as a hotbed of crime, according to M F Saldanha, retired High Court judge. He told Express he had given up the fight to clean up the park some years ago.
A stone’s throw from the Vidhana Soudha, the park is spread across 250 acres. The rape of a 30-year-old woman on Wednesday is another reminder of its murkiness, Saldanha said.
When this reporter visited Cubbon Park after dark on Thursday, it had no security, and betrayed how even a ghastly crime had failed to jolt the authorities into action.
“In 1996-97, the park was known for prostitution and tree-felling. It took a group of citizens almost a decade to make the place decent for morning walkers and visitors. However, it isn’t safe after dark,” Saldanha said.
He is not the only one who feels it is a danger zone. Sujatha S, who takes a morning walk, shares his view. “Despite my children’s nagging, I don’t allow them to visit the park when it is dark,” she said.
Sujatha, who has been visiting the park for seven years, has encountered drunks misbehaving with morning walkers. “Once or twice, I have been a victim myself and despite our complaints, nothing was done to increase security. Now we don’t walk alone, but in groups.”
Some citizens said Horticulture Department officials were not bothered about making the place secure.