Many of them crowded at the local tea stalls trying to chat with witnesses while others stood chatting amongst each other at various spots on the pavement.
Several cops in plain clothes stood guard at the spot where Chodup Lepcha opened fire on Friday and also the spot where he killed himself.
Several shop owners near the spot kept their establishments shut while residents kept to themselves.
“I was terrified seeing the videos of firing on social media. I wanted to come yesterday itself to see the place but the situation was tensed and my family members advised me against it. Today I came here in the morning itself with a friend of mine. It was so terrifying to see the place where the incident of such magnitude happened,” said Ishtiaque Ahmed, a resident of Topsia, almost five kilometres from the spot where the firing took place.
Dark tourism is when people flock to places where a dark or tragic event usually associated with death caused by a natural or man-made disaster or violence has unfolded. Visuals of Friday’s incident went viral on social media within hours.
At the spot where the constable shot himself, the blood stains were still visible drawing several onlookers.
“I had never seen anything like that. The sight of traces of human blood made me nauseous but I wanted to visit the place after yesterday’s incident,” said Anil Sau, a resident of Karaya Road.
Several tea stalls in the Lower Circular Road remained crowded throughout the day with onlookers trooping in to visit the spot.
Mohammad Naseem, the owner of the Volkswagen Passat that was hit by a bullet during the indiscriminate firing, visited the area on Saturday and took the car to the local garage for repairs.
“A headlight was completely smashed by the bullet. I am getting it repaired as I am planning to sell it off soon,” said Naseem.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/kolkata-dark-tourism-for-outsiders-but-park-circus-still-in-trauma-day-after-firing/articleshow/92153421.cms
