Karnataka high court murder puts spotlight on security at major parks

The murder of a woman advocate at the Karnataka high court has put the spotlight on security at public places.

JS Naveena, 23, was stabbed to death by her colleague and alleged lover SL Rajappa on Thursday.

“The tragedy at the high court is a warning for us to tighten security at parks,” N Jayaram, director of the horticulture department, said.

The department is mulling over tightening security at the Cubbon Park and Lalbagh Botanical Garden by installing metal detectors and increasing the strength of security staff.

The parks together see about 3,000 to 5,000 visitors on an average every day.

A pilot project for foolproof security at parks will be taken up at Lalbagh.

“It already has CCTVs at all the four entrances. We will increase the strength of the security staff, besides having metal detectors at the entrances,” Jayaram said.

Ensuring adequate security at Cubbon Park, however, would be a huge challenge, he said. “The park is spread over a huge area and has many entrances. It requires careful planning and it will take a while for a proper security system at the park,” he said.

“To begin with, we will substantially increase the number of security guards,” he said.

Jayaram said the department had approached the police department for help to tighten security at the two parks.

“These security arrangements are not to create panic among people,” an official of the horticulture department said. “This is just to ensure their safety.”

Experts have questioned the usefulness of metal detectors. “There has to be frisking and checking of baggage to ensure fool-proof security,” SV Sashidhar, a retired superintendent of police and security expert, said.