Cops out, private guards take over Poes Garden

While police officials maintained that a few policemen still posted there were to regulate the crowd who come to get a glimpse of Veda Nilayam in memory of Jayalalitaa, it is said that the private security guards have taken law onto their hands and decide who should use the road.  “The private security guards are now deciding on who should enter the road. They even stop mediapersons from going near Veda Nilayam, after barricading the public road about 500 metres away from the house,” Manivannan, a local resident said. 

The residents of Veda Nilayam, where Jayalalithaa used to live, have now reportedly appointed private security guards from a private security agency. Several safari suit-clad men are seen engaged in controlling people’s movement on public road at Poes Garden. “The private security guards are supposed to only take care of the  protection of their property. I have not received any information regarding them barricading the road and regulating public movement. It is the duty of police and we will enquire into this,” T Nagar deputy commissioner of police P Saravanan said. 

The police official said a police inspector, two sub-inspectors and constables are being deployed at Poes Garden to regulate the crowd that come to see Veda Nilayam. “On weekdays, about 7,000 party supporters visit the memorial of the former Chief Minster at Marina and then they come to Veda Nilayam. The  numbers go up to 10,000 during weekends. If we do not deploy policemen to control this crowd, they park their vehicles in front of other residences and cause difficult to others,” Saravanan said. 

The policemen thus ask the party supporters to park the vehicles in other places and to go to Veda Nilayam by walk. However, when DTNext team visited Poes Garden, no policemen were seen regulating the public at Poes Garden. But the private guards were acting like policemen and preventing people from entering the road, violating citizens’ right of way.