Delhi Park Where Teenager Was Assaulted Had Vast Unlit Stretches, Spot Check Finds

A spot check of Aastha Kunj Park in south Delhi's Kalkaji has found large stretches with little or no lighting, days after a teenage girl was allegedly sexually assaulted there on Monday evening.

Police said three men, allegedly posing as police officers, accosted the teenager and her male friend at around 7 pm, when the park was already sinking into darkness. The boy was allegedly threatened and the girl assaulted over roughly 40 minutes before the men left the park. All three have since been arrested — one in a police operation near the back gate of Lady Shri Ram College and two from Faridabad. Investigations are continuing, and the allegations have not been tested in court.

Because the survivor is a minor, her identity cannot be disclosed under Indian law, and this publication will not publish details that could lead to her being identified.

What the park looked like after sunset

Aastha Kunj covers about 150 acres in one of the capital's most densely populated and best-known neighbourhoods. The Lotus Temple stands roughly 200 metres away. Nehru Place market, the ISKCON temple and Lady Shri Ram College for Women are all in the vicinity.

Yet as daylight faded, much of the park appeared to disappear from view. It has eight gates, at least four of them open to the public at any given time, allowing people to enter and leave freely. Inside, lighting was grossly inadequate across several stretches. In places there was almost complete darkness; the most prominent light visible from some parts of the park appeared to come from the Lotus Temple, about 200 metres away.

For a green space of this size in such a central location — used daily by residents, walkers and students — the absence of basic lighting and visible security raises direct questions about how public parks are maintained and monitored after sunset. Responsibility for upkeep rests with civic agencies, and the findings suggest routine safety audits are either not being done or are not being acted upon.

Concern on and around campus

The incident has also unsettled the neighbourhood around Lady Shri Ram College. On Wednesday, students held a protest and solidarity march, demanding safer streets and flagging inadequate police patrolling, poor lighting and security lapses near the campus. The college had shifted classes online a day earlier, after one of the accused was arrested in a police operation near its back gate.

For students and residents living around Aastha Kunj, the arrests do not settle the larger question: how does a large public park in the middle of south Delhi become so dark and isolated after sunset? And how many people walk through its gates every evening without knowing what the conditions inside might allow?

What should follow

Three things matter now. First, a fair and transparent investigation, with the accused presumed innocent until proven guilty and the survivor's privacy protected at every stage. Second, an independent safety audit of the park and its surroundings — lighting, gate management, patrolling and emergency access — with timelines and public accountability, not just promises. Third, a wider review of similar public spaces across the capital, because the conditions described here are unlikely to be unique to one park.

Public spaces are meant to be usable by everyone, at any hour. Until basic lighting and security are treated as minimum standards rather than optional additions, the burden of staying safe will keep falling on those who have the least control over these spaces.