MLA visit, 5pm-11pm cop posting outside gate to calm nerves at Sonarpur condo
Times of India | 30 October 2025A mob of over 50 people barged into the campus and assaulted a Customs inspector after breaking open the entrance door of his flat. A police posting has been arranged outside the complex from 5 pm to 11 pm.
Allaying the fears of the complex's residents, both the MLA and a senior police officer assured them that the administration would take necessary steps to ensure their safety. The meeting, which went on from 9:30 pm to 11 pm, aimed at restoring confidence among the residents who alleged a security breach following the mob violence that night.
Rajiv Purohit, local councillor of Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality, was also present with Maitra and Ashis Das, inspector-in-charge of Sonarpur Police Station, at the meeting.
The MLA said: "As the residents of the complex raised their security and safety concerns after the incident, we had a meeting with them. Police have assured them that they are keeping watch to prevent a repeat, and there is no need for them to panic. Police are patrolling the area, and police have been posted outside the complex. We have told the residents that the police and the administration are always there for their safety, so they don't need to feel insecure."
According to sources, police have shared their personal contact numbers with the residents so that they can reach out to them in an emergency.
With the police posting, residents heaved a sigh of relief.
Nitesh Bansal, secretary of the apartment owners' association at the complex, said: "The police posting at the gate now makes us feel safe. We will request the police to extend the period of posting till 1:30 am or 2 am. The police station is about 6 km away. We were told that the police station would be shifted to Rajpur, closer to our complex."
Gora Bose, vice-president of the association, added: "We have conveyed our worries to the police, the MLA, and the councillor. We feel somewhat safe now. We have full faith in the administration."
Earlier, some residents expressed their anxiety over stepping out after sunset, fearing another attack by the hooligans who went on a rampage inside the complex on Oct 23. As per the police complaint, Customs inspector Pradeep Kumar, who was driving back home from the office that night, had a tiff with an auto operator when the three-wheeler scraped his sedan.
Later, the auto operator ganged up with around 150-200 others in the locality and gathered at the complex.
About 53 people made their way to Kumar's flat, broke open the door, and assaulted him and his wife.
A senior police officer said the meeting with the residents of the complex was meant for "confidence building". "We are keeping vigil in the area to ensure that the residents stay protected. One police officer is posted outside the complex between 5 pm and 11 pm. There is no need for the residents to feel vulnerable," said the officer.
