Ghaziabad: Residents and RWA members of Pratap Nagar in Ghaziabad on Thursday staged a protest against one of the gates of their society between the police line and Pratap Nagar area that was closed by police citing Covid-19 threat to police personnel.
Residents said that the stretch meets Hapur road but with cops closing it, it takes around 20 minutes to reach Hapur road via Avantika.
They have to travel an additional 2.5km to reach Hapur road.
Residents also alleged that during the protest, the police misbehaved with them.
Through their protest, which started around 9am and continued till 12noon, the residents demanded the road be opened, else they would sit on a hunger strike.
Amit Sharma, an RWA member, said, that police had closed this road during the lockdown in 2020 but also assured that it would be opened once cases go down.
“However, even after a year, they are not ready to open it,” Sharma said.
Dinesh Sharma, president of the RWA, said that police personnel also misbehaved with him and other residents, including women.
“The road was constructed for public use around 10 years ago but suddenly the cops want it only for themselves.
We were on a peaceful protest, but the police pushed us and even abused women.
If they don’t agree to open the gates, we will take the matter to the higher authorities,” he said.
Meanwhile, a senior police officer said that they closed the gates because of security reasons.
Abhay Mishra, circle officer of Kavi Nagar police station, said, “Several police personnel live here with their families and to ensure their safety, we have closed the gate.
We took the decision keeping the law and order situation in mind.”