The Delhi Police has stepped up efforts to tackle escalating crime in the national capital, particularly in Jhuggi Jhopri (JJ) clusters, which have consistently reported higher crime rates over several years.
Keeping this in mind, the North East district police have identified 11 JJ clusters under the jurisdiction of six police stations. These areas report the highest incidents of crime in North East Delhi, particularly crimes against women, violent assaults, and organised crimes. The proximity to the Uttar Pradesh border has exacerbated the situation, making these localities increasingly vulnerable.
To address these concerns, North East Delhi Police will form Cluster Security Committees (CSCs) in the identified areas under the jurisdiction of Seelampur, Shastri Park, Gokalpuri, Khajoori Khas, Welcome, and Nand Nagri police stations.
The police attribute the rise in crime primarily to “demographic” and “topographic” factors within these clusters, and the selection of clusters has been based accordingly.
North East Delhi consistently tops Delhi’s districts for heinous crimes. Through CSCs, the police intend to devise action plans to reduce crime and enhance security measures. According to a document accessed exclusively by Patriot, the committees will seek recommendations from stakeholders led by the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, North East District. The stakeholders include the Assistant Commissioner of Police (sub-division), Station House Officers (SHOs), beat constables, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) or pradhans, NGO representatives working in these clusters, youth volunteers, retired police or military personnel (if present), four other prominent community members, and respected religious leaders.
Currently, however, residents remain largely unaware of the Delhi Police’s plans. To assess the ground realities, Patriot visited all 11 identified JJ clusters, including Taj Colony and CPJ Block in Seelampur; Pushtha Buland Masjid in Shastri Park; Sanjay Colony Camp in Gokalpuri; Shri Ram Colony in Khajoori Khas; Janta Mazdoor Colony in Welcome; and C-Block, F-1 Block, G-3 Block, and Leprosy Camp under Nand Nagri Police Station.
Shri Ram Colony
The atmosphere at Shri Ram Colony turns bleak as night falls. Residents retreat indoors swiftly after sunset, and within minutes, the streets become deserted. According to locals, this pattern has persisted since the early 2010s.
“Earlier, the extent of crimes was not that harrowing. All that would happen was a robbery, but now, with more youth taking to crime, violent incidents have increased a lot. Nowadays, they just need a slight nudge towards a certain direction for them to lose their mind,” said Manohar Dedha, a resident.
Women particularly face difficulties. “Half of the time, they are drunk or high, or sometimes both, and during that stupor, it is extremely difficult to reason with them. Because of these criminals, we have very strict guidelines at home—nobody goes out after seven during summers,” said Ritu Kanaujia, another resident.
Residents say snatchings are extremely common, exacerbated by inadequate police presence. “They barely come out to patrol here. We have, technically, been left to our wits,” said a resident, requesting anonymity.
Janta Mazdoor Colony
Located near the upscale New Jaffrabad area, Janta Mazdoor Colony sharply contrasts its surroundings. Narrow lanes overflow with people, vehicles, and carts, creating chaos.
While robberies and snatchings are relatively rare, murders are frequent. “The slightest altercation almost always leads to somebody getting hurt or worse, killed. We do not have a lot of theft happening here but rather, it’s murder that has become an issue,” said Moin Ali, a 23-year-old resident.
Residents recall recent incidents vividly. “It was in January that somebody shot at someone. It only grazed past their knee, and they were saved. Usually, such incidents leads to death,” said Salim, another local.
C-Block, Nand Nagri
Nand Nagri’s multiple blocks have long been hotspots for arms smuggling and organised crime due to proximity to Loni, Ghaziabad, known for manufacturing country-made pistols. In April 2024, an officer was shot dead by an armed assailant on Nand Nagri flyover; investigation revealed they knew each other. A raid in February 2024 on an illegal weapons unit in Loni further highlighted the area’s arms proliferation, recovering 33 complete and 25 half-made pistols.
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“The guns that come through Loni into Nand Nagri are then used across the national capital. They see a lot of unemployed youths in the area. This leads them to doing whatever job they find. Eventually, they take to a life of crime. While some do it out of excitement, most do it out of necessity,” said Rekha Vishwakarma, a resident.
Praveen Singh, another resident, said crimes are frequent and have numbed locals to violence. “We hear of deaths almost daily. If someone does not get murdered, they are attacked by a blade-wielding assailant. The situation remains the same. Apart from murders, snatchings and robberies happen regularly. Residents have stopped going to the police. Even the police chowki here remains closed,” he said.
Sanjay Colony Camp
Adjacent to Gokulpuri metro station, Sanjay Colony houses around 500 families in congested lanes. Crime has become a daily reality.
Residents claim addiction, particularly to smack, fuels criminal activities. “It is through stealing that the habit is sustained. Some break into people’s houses, while others snatch whatever a person owns, flailing a knife around. Such is the situation here,” said Nadeem, a resident.
Women face constant harassment. “They (addicts) line the alleys ingesting smack and become very violent. If I ever go out and they eve-tease me, I do not have a choice but to ignore them. Unfortunately, this has been happening every day, and we can never go out after a certain point of time,” said Reshma Devi.
Although residents know the perpetrators, they hesitate to act. “Whenever we complain, a police officer picks them up. The accused remains inside the station for a day, sometimes less, and then they let him off. We have now grown tired of the same activity happening every time,” said Mohammed Riaz.
Notably, none of these localities currently has an active RWA, and the legitimacy of claims by local pradhans remains questionable, raising concerns about their representation in the CSCs.
