The tension at the gates of Noida’s Jaypee Greens Wish Town township in Sector 128 is so thick you can slice it with a knife. The offending resident-woman of Pavilion Court is in 14-day judicial custody, her abusive video has gone viral, and the guards at the gate are dejected but stoic.
The incident on 20 August wasn’t the first time NCR suburbs’ condominium guards witnessed ‘The Great Gate Rage’ of the upper-middle class. The sentinels of the palatial complexes in Noida are guarding more than just the entrances and exits—they are the keepers of the secrets of India’s ugly new class war.
“We were not here. We don’t know. We have only seen the video” is the standard answer to every question about the incident. But a gentle nudge and their tales of everyday humiliation pour out.
Life as a Noida security guard
The poker face that the uniformed guards maintain, as the elite and the entitled rage and rant, belie their frustration and helplessness. The guards are here to serve the residents at all hours. And the residents—as well as their guests—are never wrong.
“Nowadays, being a security guard has become a risky business. We are not treated like human beings,” says Anoop Kumar, the guard who was assaulted by the woman, an advocate, in Sector 128.
It took a pandemic for 48-year-old Mahesh Kumar to admit that he was simply not cut out for the job. He gave up his uniform and turned his back on his security guard gig in 2020 during the Covid lockdown. “We are first responders in any situation, be it theft or fire or accidents. But we are not considered even as human beings,” says Mahesh.
He recalls a face-off he had with five young men at 3am in 2017. They were creating a ruckus over identification proof, which guests guests entering Panchvati Apartment Complex in Sector 62 are required to provide.
“I was scared that they might assault [me]. Their body language was aggressive even though they were in an expensive car and wore good clothes,” Mahesh says. He says he tried to speak calmly, but insisted that they submit the IDs. After half an hour of shouting at him, and insinuating that he was not worth their time, the group finally gave their ID proofs.
Clearly, Gate Rage is the new cousin of Delhi’s infamous Road Rage.
Private security personnel have to go through background checks and police verification before they can be employed in various sectors and societies, in accordance with the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005. They are trained to handle and follow protocols for everything— from making entries of guests to responding to fire alarms.
But human resources is an alien concept. More often than not, they have month-long shifts without a break. There are too many societies, and not enough guards. The only exceptions are at the exclusive housing complexes like Jaypee Greens, which often have added security systems of OTP entrances or multifaceted checking systems.
Also read: India’s democracy goes beyond the last mall in Noida. Rural feudal rich are feeling the pinch
Fewer female guards
But technology is proving to be an ally. “Cameras have become game-changers for security guards and their safety. Even in this incident, no one would have believed the guard if the recording had not been made. People would have favoured the resident,” says Amit Bansal of Special Agent Security Services Pvt Limited, Noida.
In his ten years in this industry, Bansal has seen multiple instances of people misbehaving with or treating guards as lesser humans.
The absence of a lady guard also led to the Sector 128 situation getting out of hand, because a male guard laying hands on the accused Bhavya Roy to even restrain her would have only aggravated the situation.
Female guards are also fewer in number because their shifts have to end by 6 pm so that they can reach home on the outskirts of Noida at a reasonable hour. The commute, on top of the gruelling 12-hour shifts, means there are lesser female guards in particular, and lesser guards on duty in general.
Also read: Shrikant Tyagi isn’t alone. List of complaints against Noida bahubalis is long
New money, big egos
Noida is known for its affordable housing, and in the last few years, there has been a distinct shift in people who work in Delhi, to look for a newly constructed apartment in the suburbs. The result is a curious mix of tenants, first-time homebuyers and investors buying multiple properties.
“Bachelor tenants create the most issue. It is like ego satisfaction to dismiss or demean a guard,” says Bansal. This, he adds, is more visible in high-rise gated societies of Noida, where rent is more affordable than in the villas or condos.
Often, security guards are treated as a paid service included in the maintenance charge in a gated high-rise society, says Bansal. “We may respect other uniforms, but not that of a guard.”
Most security guards and even their supervisors are maintaining studied silence on the incident at Jaypee Greens Wish Town. Others deny ever experiencing Gate Rage. But one guard at one of the entry gates at Jaypee Greens did ask me for a phone number. “Nothing has happened so far. But I will know whom to call in case something does happen,” he says.
This article is part of a series on the class wars in Delhi NCR. Read all here.
(Edited by Prashant)