Delhi Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal and AAP Ministers have raised serious concerns over the deteriorating law and order situation in the capital city. The AAP has made a scathing attack at the Prime Minister and Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi for their inaction in the face of the recent 350 crore scam in Delhi Police and daylight court shootout in Saket Court.
The working of LG-administered Delhi Police has come under the scanner following the shocking incidents. Talking about the incidents on Twitter, CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal wrote, ‘Delhi Police comes under you, Mr. Prime Minister’, and asked, will the police investigate the Saket Court Shooting properly and send the guilty to jail? He further remarked that the law and order system has collapsed in Delhi, and appealed that instead of obstructing the work of others and doing dirty politics, everyone should focus on doing their own work with full responsibility.
“If you can’t handle law & order then you should resign. Delhi’s safety and security can’t be compromised with,” the CM wrote in another tweet.
The AAP also highlighted the 350 crore scam that took place in Delhi Police under LG’s watch. AAP Chief Spokesperson and Delhi Minister Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj informed that Rs 350 crore were embezzled through LG-administered Delhi Police by diverting professional service fees through fake bills. He demanded that the whole scam should be investigated by an independent agency. He further asked the Centre to explain why the Delhi Police is investigating a scam committed by its own senior officers. He also demanded that LG should come out and tell the public what he has done to strengthen the deteriorating law and order situation in Delhi and what is the plan ahead. The Minister further warned that the safety and security of the citizens of Delhi cannot be compromised and called for swift action from the concerned authorities.
Aam Aadmi Party on Friday hit out at the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena for keeping mum on the news report regarding an alleged scam in the Delhi Police worth Rs 350 crore. AAP Chief Spokesperson and Cabinet Minister Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj said that despite it being more than 24 hours since the news report was first published, the LG has not spoken on the matter.
He highlighted that an audit of the Delhi Police was conducted a few days ago and it was found out that a scam of Rs 350 crore had taken place. It is said that this money was accounted for under the category of ‘special services’, but this money was transferred elsewhere for other smaller works and the contractors were asked to inflate the bills and present it.
He said that this news was first published in a Hindi newspaper yesterday and today when it has been published in the other newspapers, the Delhi Police has already started to change the narrative of the report. He said that the Delhi Police is responsible for the safety of the citizens of the National Capital. He also added that the police force is responsible for the security of all the VIPs in Delhi.
He stated that as per the Constitution of India, the LG is responsible for effectively just two departments in Delhi – land and public order. “The LG is free to go wherever he wants. He can go and visit a drain or he can go to a zoo, but as per the Constitution of India, he is assigned two tasks – to take care of land through DDA and the other is public order, which he is in-charge of through the Delhi Police,” he said.
Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj said that in the nearly one year tenure that Shri VK Saxena has had as the LG of Delhi, he cannot remember even one such instance when the LG visited a police station in Delhi. He added that there are around 175 police stations in the city. He said that as a person who is responsible for the security apparatus in Delhi, the LG should be visiting at least one police station a day and reviewing its functioning. He added that the LG should be aware about how the police officials behave with a woman who visits the police station to file a complaint.
The Delhi Cabinet Minister asked some direct questions to the LG and wondered how such a massive scam had taken place under the watch of the LG. He added that the LG usually writes lengthy letters to the Chief Minister and often gives lectures on morality and dignity of the public office. But when such a big scam has taken place under him, he has not written a single tweet or a letter regarding this issue. “Why is he so quiet on this issue. What is he trying to hide?,” he asked.
Highlighting the unfortunate incident in which a woman was fired upon in the Saket Court this morning, Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj asked, “The courts are supposed to be a safe space for all the citizens. The Saket District Court is located in a posh locality within Delhi. There are strict instructions that a person entering the court premise has to pass through the metal detector. How did a gun manage to get inside the court premise?,” he asked.
He also said that this is not the first such incident. Just a few weeks ago, a prominent lawyer who was leaving the Dwarka Court was shot dead outside it. He also pointed out that cases of elderly citizens being attacked within their houses in Delhi during daytime has become a fairly regular news feature. He also said that cases of chain snatching and mobile snatching are also on the rise.
Hitting out at the deteriorating law and order situation in Delhi, he said that vehicles of citizens are being stolen from outside their houses. “If a crime takes place and it is captured on a CCTV camera, even then the police are not able to catch the culprits. If the victim of the case manages to take the CCTV footage to the police and even shows the face of the accused, even then the accused are not caught,” he said.
He asked where the LG is when such incidents are taking place in Delhi. He added that the LG spends the entire day trying to take credit for the work that is done by the Delhi Government. “He enjoys visiting sewer treatment plants and water treatment plants. When a project that is being funded by the Irrigation Department takes place, the LG goes to the site to get his photos clicked. Should he not go and get his photos clicked at a police station in Delhi? Should he not go to the Saket District Court where this incident took place today and get his photo clicked over there? Should he not visit the family of the lawyer who was shot outside Dwarka court?, he asked.
Pointing out the ghastly incident that took place in Delhi on New Year’s Eve in which a young woman was dragged under the car for several kilometres, Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj asked why did the LG not visit the site of crime. “He can visit as many drains in Delhi and take credit for the work taking place there. But he should at least visit those sites where crime has taken place under his watch. The LG cannot run away from his responsibilities,” he said.
Hitting out at the Central Government, the Delhi Cabinet Minister asked how it was possible that such a big scam that took place under the watch of senior officials of Delhi Police will now be investigated by their own officers. “Have you ever heard of such a thing that the department that was in-charge for the scam will now investigate their own officers? Where is the CBI and the ED in such a case? By now the LG should have been investigated by these agencies. But nothing has been done in this case,” he said.
Pointing out that Delhi Police is a reputed institution across the country, he asked who is the LG trying to protect by not ordering a probe in this case. “The LG is accountable to the people of the state and we want to know what he is doing regarding this matter. It has been over 24 hours since this report has come out in the media and we want the LG to make his case clear to the people. The LG also needs to tell the citizens what he has done in the last one year to improve the law and order situation in Delhi and what plans he has for the future,” he said.
