CHENNAI: Mind your own business! is what the police patrolling the beaches are hearing now. “Four different groups of people yelled at me for stopping them from stepping into the sea. They told me to mind my business. When I was not around they stepped into neck deep water,” said a police constable deployed at the Besant Nagar Beach.
As the beaches reopened on Monday, three boys went missing from Marina Beach and search operations were futile. People thronged the beach to watch the operation and some even attempted to get into the water, said police.
Police driving on all-terrain vehicles to clear the crowd and patrol vehicles clearing illegally parked vehicles was a constant scene. M S Baskar, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Triplicane, said that people are mostly coming from the nearby areas. “We are worried about weekends as thousands from suburban areas and other places would come,” he said.
In Thiruvanmiyur and Neelankarai whistle sounds were echoing as police tried to stop people from stepping into the water. Meanwhile, visitors said they were excited to visit beach after a long hiatus. Ganikarani, from T Nagar said, “It has been long since we came. We do not know when it will close again, so we are enjoying every second.”
A few other people told that they would have enjoyed more if cops did not monitor the area. “We know it is dangerous to get into the water but that’s the fun. Whenever we try to get into water, cops are telling us about the missing story of three boys,” said a group of college students.