The Last Playground 4: Delhi Police's Push to Make Parks Safe Again Through Operation Vimukt

New Delhi: Parks are no longer meant only for people seeking greenery. In today’s age of social media and reels, they have evolved into spaces of escape from routine, mundane lives - playgrounds, community gathering spots, walking tracks, and places to relax, rewind and replenish. Few public spaces fulfil this role as effectively as parks.

But when drugs, crime, and anti-social activities take over, communities lose more than just physical space - they lose trust, access and a sense of belonging.

Like many other cities, Delhi faces mounting social and urban pressures, where public parks are often the first spaces communities surrender, sometimes without resistance. As evening falls, many of these areas transform into sites of drug use, alcohol consumption, intimidation and illegal activity.

In response, children stop playing, women avoid evening visits, and the elderly retreat from spaces once so important to their daily life. For The Last Playground campaign, we take a look at the safety aspect of Delhi parks at a time when Delhi Police has launched Operation Vimukt with the aim to make parks safer, more accessible and community-controlled again.

Reclaiming Spaces, Not Just Policing Them

Launched under the leadership of DCP (West) Darade Sharad Bhaskar, Operation Vimukt began this month, aimed to free parks from drug-linked and criminal activity. But to bring about the change, the police did not only remain the stakeholder, rather it positioned the initiative as a community-driven act that ensures environmental safety upgrades and targeted field action to restore confidence in neighbourhood parks.

The objective is to return public spaces to children, families, walkers and communities.

“Park Mitra”: How Community’s Co-Guardian Help

One of the campaign’s strongest pillars of Vimukt is “Park Mitra.”

For this purpose, Delhi Police brought together Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), Market Welfare Associations (MWAs) and local residents to act as active partners in monitoring public spaces. Residents are free to report suspicious behaviour, drug movement, unsafe activity, or threats if any, thus effectively becoming the community’s first line of observation.

Operation Vimukt: Beyond policing (ETV Bharat Graphics)

Mapping the Problem: 265 Parks Surveyed

Operation Vimukt adopted a strategic approach by surveying 265 parks across West Delhi. The audit identified infrastructure weaknesses that frequently encourage crime:

• Poor lighting
• Broken gates and walls
• Unsafe blind spots
• Weakly regulated access points

These findings highlight an important reality for urban spaces: park safety is not only a law-and-order issue; it is also a design, maintenance, and governance issue.

To rectify these deficiencies, the Police Department is working in collaboration with the Municipal Corporation and other civic agencies to ensure a safe and secure environment within the parks.

In its initial 15-day operational phase, Delhi Police carried out:

444+ surprise inspections

325 preventive detentions

4,598 actions under Section 65 DP Act

445 actions under Section 66 DP Act

50 juveniles apprehended and referred for corrective processes

Alongside enforcement, a 'Vimukt Chaupal' is being organised daily in two parks within every police station jurisdiction. Senior police officials attend these gatherings, which take place from 6 PM to 9 PM. Here, any citizen can report drug peddlers or local miscreants without any hesitation. These Chaupals have instilled fear in the minds of criminals for being under constant police surveillance.

Among those taking the lead in successfully executing this entire operation on the ground are Additional DCP Dr Sachin Kumar Singhal and SI Manish.

Officials say this is not merely a short-term campaign. “The police intend to further expand the network of 'Park Mitras' in the coming days. By leveraging technology like CCTVs, we aim to transform these parks into impregnable fortresses where no crime should take place and no criminal goes scot-free,” they say.

The initiative has now evolved into a full-fledged mass movement and is actively improving the conditions of parks across the entire capital region.

The impact of 'Vimukt' has started showing results across West Delhi. The attendance in the parks is increasing as before. “When the police and the citizens join hands, criminals are left with absolutely nowhere to go. This model of the Delhi Police can now serve as an inspiration for other districts as well,” the DCP said.

Who gets the park after dark? (ETV Bharat Graphics)

'Operation Vimukt': A Positive Step

Former ACP and President of the Delhi Police Mahasabha, Ved Bhushan, explained that certain areas within Delhi are a challenge in themselves, both for the government and the police. “For instance, the Janakpuri police station jurisdiction, an area that does not have slum clusters, features large parks within every residential block. Often, lighting arrangements in these parks are inadequate. As a result, people from surrounding localities, particularly from nearby resettlement colonies, come to these parks to seek shelter, often spending the entire night sleeping there,” he said.

Speaking about drug consumption within these parks, the former cop said that though it is a challenge for the government, the approach adopted by the Delhi Police seems to be in the right direction. “This is a positive step because once the police begin patrolling these parks, anti-social elements will find it impossible to gain a foothold or continue to linger there,” he states.

In Service of Nation Even After Retirement

Former Delhi Police Sub-Inspector Baljeet Singh Rana, who is also a part of 'Operation Vimukt' as an honorary advisor, says the situation in the parks has improved ever since the campaign was launched. Speaking to ETV Bharat, Rana, who retired from service in 2012, explains how continuous awareness-building efforts and surveillance are helping the initiative. “Every morning and evening, I visit the parks to counsel people, explaining that drug abuse is detrimental not only to one's health but also to one's family and future,” he said.

Last Playground May Not Be the Last

Operation Vimukt’s next phase includes expanding the Park Mitra network, increasing CCTV-led monitoring and strengthening community engagement. When families return, children play again, and seniors walk without hesitation, a city is not just reducing crime, it is reclaiming its public life.

Read More:

1. The Last Playground | Concrete Jungles, Crumbling Parks: Are Our Children Safe Anywhere Anymore?
2. The Last Playground 2: Why Pune's Parks Are Thriving While Open Spaces Shrink
3. The Last Playground 3 | Broken Swings, Leaning Poles And Shrinking Play Spaces Inside Bihar's Troubled Parks