Theft just a stone's throw from the police outpost raises serious questions about the security of the Left Bank
Correspondent, Shyam Das, Asansol: Ahead of Durga Puja, major questions have once again started arising regarding the law and order situation in the Asansol industrial belt and its surrounding areas. A daring theft incident very close to a police outpost has caused intense sensation among local residents. Miscreants struck the colony area at midnight, right behind the Kalyaneri outpost under the Salanpur police station. How such an incident occurred evading the strict surveillance of the police administration, whose primary responsibility is to maintain law and order and is supposed to keep watch 24 hours a day, has now created intense discontent and a major question mark in the public mind.
It is known that this theft took place at the house of Montu Roy, a resident of the Left Bank area under the Kalyaneri outpost. At the time of the incident, the homeowner Montu Roy, who is a working professional, was on duty at his workplace. Meanwhile, other members of the family were fast asleep. The gang of thieves fully capitalized on this opportunity. Taking advantage of a populated and sensitive area, the gang of thieves very cleverly entered the house. Thereafter, they stole two expensive smartphones kept near the bed, some cash, and a valuable brass worship utensil from inside the room, and fled away in the darkness of the night.
After waking up in the morning, family members noticed household items scattered around and realized the theft. As this news spread across the area in a moment, a commotion broke out everywhere. The affected homeowner, Montu Roy, reacting to the media said, "I had gone to work at night. Everyone in the house was sleeping, taking that opportunity thieves entered the house and fled with mobile phones, money, and puja utensils. Our house is located very close to the police outpost, yet miscreants have no fear of the police. It is simply unacceptable that a gang of thieves carried out such a daring act right under the nose of the outpost. This inaction of the administration has made us think." He further stated that although he went to the Kalyaneri outpost in the morning to lodge an initial complaint, the complaint could not be submitted immediately as the in-charge or responsible officer of the outpost was not present at that moment. However, he mentioned that he would later visit the police station amidst his work to lodge a written and formal complaint regarding the matter.
Ever since this incident, widespread anger and panic have spread among the general public of the Left Bank area. The primary and overarching complaint of the local residents is that where such a daring theft takes place right under the nose of the police outpost itself, where is the security of life and property of ordinary hardworking people? Locals claim that such criminal incidents did not commonly occur in the Left Bank area in the past. However, with this sudden upward graph of crime ahead of a major festival like Durga Puja, a deep sense of insecurity has gripped the people's minds. Residents have strongly demanded to immediately strengthen police patrolling in the area as well as quickly identify and arrest the miscreants involved in the incident. Otherwise, venting their anger against the police, they have also issued a stern warning of moving towards a broader agitation.
