The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), expressed deep concern over the escalating crime rates in Delhi and called for immediate intervention from the central government. AAP Chief Spokesperson Ms Priyanka Kakkar highlighted the need for a new ordinance to bring law and order under the purview of the elected government, citing LG’s incompetence. He emphasised the rising incidents of crime against women in Delhi, pointing to specific cases of a girl from West Bengal being raped in Laxmi Nagar and another girl being kidnapped in New Ashok Nagar. She underscored the urgency of the situation by revealing the shocking statistics that Delhi witnesses one murder and six rape cases almost daily. She demanded transparency and requested the LG to provide information about the steps taken to address the alarming crime rates.
Ms Kakkar also lauded Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal’s proactive measures to combat crime, particularly his efforts to install CCTV cameras throughout the city.
Furthermore, she brought attention to a recent development involving Balesh Dhankar, former President of BJP Overseas Friends, who has been dubbed the “Worst Rapist of the Century” by an Australian court. Adding to the list of disturbing incidents, Ms Kakkar disclosed an alleged incident involving Rajvardhan Singh Parman, a close aide of BJP’s Rajnath Singh, Pragya Thakur, and Hardeep Puri, who has been accused of attempting to molest a woman in UP Bhawan. Ms Kakkar condemned the incident and called for appropriate action to be taken against those involved.
In a press conference held on Wednesday, Ms Priyanka Kakkar, shed light on the alarming rise in crimes against women in India under the rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She presented two distressing incidents of crimes against women that have come to light in Delhi in the last 24 hours, emphasising the urgent need for action and accountability by the Lieutenant Governor (LG) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Centre. She stressed that these incidents were not isolated occurrences but rather the result of the BJP’s association with and protection of criminals who specialise in crimes against women.
The AAP Chief Spokesperson demanded the resignation of the Delhi LG, citing a lack of action and response despite multiple requests for accountability regarding the steps being taken by him to fulfil his key constitutional obligation, i.e., the maintenance of law and order in Delhi. Additionally, she urged the central government to transfer law and order responsibilities to Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal through an ordinance. She highlighted the efficacy of the AAP government’s initiatives for enhancing women’s safety in Delhi, particularly the installation of CCTV cameras under the leadership of Shri Arvind Kejriwal. These cameras have played a crucial role in promptly identifying and apprehending culprits.
Drawing attention to specific incidents, Ms Priyanka Kakkar highlighted the case of the tragic rape of a young woman from West Bengal in Laxmi Nagar. The second incident took place in New Ashok Nagar, where a young girl was kidnapped while using a public toilet. The AAP chief spokesperson questioned the recurring nature of such distressing incidents and attributed it to the BJP’s association with criminals, particularly those involved in heinous crimes against women. She called the BJP “a house of criminals who specialise in crimes against women.”
The press conference also brought to light the shocking revelations surrounding Balesh Dhankhar, the former head of the group ‘Overseas Friends of the BJP’ in Australia. Dhankhar, who had previously hosted Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during his visit to Australia in 2014, was later labelled as the ‘worst rapist of the century’ by an Australian court. He was accused of drugging and sexually assaulting five South Korean women, under the false pretext of employment, and recording their horrific experiences. These crimes were so appalling that the Australian court struggled to witness the evidence.
Ms Priyanka Kakkar further expressed concern over the failure of the Delhi LG and Delhi Police to take action on multiple allegations of sexual harassment against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and BJP Member of Parliament (MP) Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. She remarked, “I am sure that had Balesh Dhankhar been in India, he would have been welcomed, garlanded, and appointed as the President of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) by the BJP government.”
Another alarming case highlighted during the press conference involved Rajvardhan Singh Parmar, who claims personal connections with BJP leaders like Rajnath Singh, Pragya Thakur, and cabinet minister Hardeep Singh Puri. Parmar, the chief of a Hindutva outfit called the Maharana Pratap Sena, faces allegations of sexually harassing a woman by luring her to the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Bhawan premises in Delhi on the pretext of meeting BJP leaders Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari. She pointed out the audacity of the accused, who released a video challenging the victim and brazenly proclaiming that if the allegations against him were true, she should meet him in a public place and set him on fire. The AAP chief spokesperson exclaimed, “This fearlessness displayed by criminals associated with the BJP is deeply disconcerting!”
Ms. Priyanka Kakkar expressed her disappointment with the situation in Delhi, where the LG appointed by the BJP-ruled Centre, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena, himself has an ongoing case against him of assaulting a woman. She highlighted that the rate of crimes against women in Delhi surpasses that of Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai combined, painting a grim picture of the city. With a murder occurring every two days and an average of six rape complaints filed daily, urgent action is imperative.
Questioning the LG’s response, the AAP chief spokesperson demanded a decisive action plan and data about the steps being taken to combat the rising crimes against women. She said, “What is the LG doing? It is time for the LG to resign immediately.”
In a series of press conferences, the AAP has continuously raised grave concerns about the safety of women in Delhi and sought accountability from Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena. On Monday, she highlighted the Sakshi murder case and presented a non-exhaustive list of six similar cases of gruesome crimes against women in Delhi since January this year. AAP has demanded answers regarding the measures taken to ensure women’s safety since the Anjali case on January 1, 2023, specifically the number of police stations in Delhi that the LG has inspected so far.
After the murder of a young woman came to light in Delhi’s Majnu Ka Tila area, AAP had held another press conference on Tuesday, focusing on the lack of accountability in monitoring PCR vans. Ms Kakkar questioned the LG about the oversight of these vehicles, asking whether he has data about whether the PCR vans operated within their designated jurisdictions and how many kilometres they covered daily. Unfortunately, the LG did not respond to any of her inquiries. On Wednesday, Ms Priyanka Kakkar once again urged the LG to take immediate action to improve women’s safety in Delhi, highlighting the two FIRs filed in Laxmi Nagar and New Ashok Nagar.
Continuing the efforts to bring attention to the issue, Ms. Priyanka Kakkar raised concerns about the role of the Delhi LG, who is selected/appointed rather than elected, and questioned whether his de-facto primary function is to impede the work of the elected Kejriwal government. She underscored the proactive stance taken by Delhi Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal to ensure public safety and order, including personally sitting for a dharna in 2018 to ensure the installation of CCTV cameras in Delhi. She stressed the crucial role these cameras have played in swiftly identifying and apprehending criminals. She emphasised that in light of the rising crimes against women in Delhi and the LG’s failure to fulfill his constitutional obligations, the elected Kejriwal government should be entrusted with law and order responsibilities in Delhi through an ordinance.
The AAP Chief Spokesperson emphatically stated,” We demand the immediate resignation of Delhi LG Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena. Furthermore, we urge the BJP-ruled central government, known for its affinity to issue ordinances, to transfer the law and order responsibilities of Delhi to Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal through an ordinance.”
