Pune: Vandalisation of a car in the Khadki Cantonment area of the family of an Army officer posted in the field, has triggered a debate over opening of closed roads within cantonment areas.
The daughter of the officer posted photos of the vandalised car on Twitter on June 4, attracting many reactions from people,
especially veterans.
However, some people commented that the Khadki cantonment has had only open roads since years.
The incident took place in front of the family quarters near Tank Road towards Vishrantwadi. The area is secluded with the Ammunition Factory on one side.
“My dad in field, alone with mother in SF (separate family) house in Khadki. Some hooligans damaged our car parked outside and threw stones and beer bottles. No help from police. Scared,” the girl tweeted to Defence Minister, Army, and national channels’ media personalities.
In another tweet, she stated, “Consequences of living in an open cantt.”
Till Wednesday evening, her posts were retweeted over 250 times and many people commented.
People commented that the Cantonment roads should be closed for traffic as they were posing threats to families and defence personnel and their equipment.
When contacted, the family member of the officer said they are getting support from the concerned authorities.
“We have approached the Army officials and the police,” she added.
Speaking to mediapersons on Tuesday, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “After meetings with all stakeholders, it was found that 850 roads were under closure in 62 cantonments. Out of 850, 119 roads were closed without following due procedure. Among those 119, only 80 roads have been opened.”
Cops file case
Senior Police Inspector Laxman Borate, in-charge of Khadki police station said, “We have registered a non-cognisable (NC) offence under section 427 (damage to property) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The incident took place at night. It seems someone passing by damaged the car. There is no CCTV in the area. We are investigating the case through other sources.”
