Walkers Throng KBR as Usual

After Wednesday’s shock and horror, life was as usual for walkers at Kasu Brahmananda Reddy (KBR) Park.
Walkers Throng KBR as Usual

HYDERABAD: After Wednesday’s shock and horror, life was as usual for walkers at Kasu Brahmananda Reddy (KBR) Park on Thursday.

Even before sunrise, the much celebrated national park open for public was buzzing with activity. Elders took their patient stroll, youngsters and children jogged, some sat and read books, while the usual bunch of laughing club members laughed out aloud though in between, most of them had animated discussions over Wednesday’s incident wherein a gunman armed with an AK-47 made a vain bid to kidnap Aurobindo Pharma director and vice-chairman K Nityananda Reddy.

“Had I reached on time as usual, I think I would have been there at the time of the attack. I heard the noise but realised it was gunshots only after seeing one person sitting on the footpath with a few onlookers around,” said Gundu Sekhar, an advocate from Krishna Nagar, who has been frequenting KBR Park every morning for the last eight years. While stating that such an incident would not deter public or high profile citizens from thronging the park, he called for a better livable city. On Thursday morning, a police patrol team with armed personnel was deployed outside the gates of the park.

“There is not much lung space left in the city. While Hyderabad is not as bad as other metro cities, it looks like we are just in the race to become worse. We need better livable city and not a replica of cities with highrises and corporate investments,” said Vijaya Gauri Karri, an NRI from the UK. Her husband Parthasarathy added, “We should encourage a mobile phone app that alerts police on any incidence of crime. Also, public need to be disciplined first.” According to him, the incident outside KBR Park should be an eye-opener for the city police.

Gundu Sekhar said, “We need pro-active policing. Prevention of crime and stringent and quick punishment can be a deterrent.” City-based contractor Ravindranath, who takes a stroll with his daughter in the park, said: “We really need to see how safe is our city. People will forget the incident in a couple of days.”

Mohan Rao, an industrialist, pointed out that government takes note of issues only when an incident of this nature occurs.

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