If needed, Army will be deployed: Kejriwal

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday chaired a meeting with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, along with senior officials and representatives of political parties about the prevailing situation in the national Capital. Shah appreciated the participation of all parties and urged them to exercise restraint and rise above party lines to tackle the situation.

Kejriwal held a meeting with the MLAs and senior officials at his residence and instructions were given to take all necessary steps to establish peace. Later in the day he met Shah and requested deployment of additional forces.

"If needed, the Army will also be deployed in the violence-affected areas. But for now, various police officials have been injured in the clashes, 9 police personnel have been admitted to Max Hospital and 16 others have been taken to GTB Hospital. The authorities have assured us that they will strengthen the police force and deploy as many police personnel as needed," he said.

He further added: "The MLAs of the border areas have also noted that miscreants are entering the borders in huge numbers. The borders need to be sealed and preventive arrests need to be made. I have also directed the SDMs of the areas to take out a peace march along with the local police officials. Peace committees at the local level must conduct meetings, inviting MLAs and members from all religions and communities. The temples and mosques situated in the affected areas must also appeal to the people to maintain peace and calm. I have also requested the Chief Secretary to speak to the DCPs to strengthen the police task force to control the situation of violence in Delhi."

Kejriwal further maintained: "I met with the MLAs of the affected areas just a while back. Hospital authorities in the area have been alerted and instructions have been provided to them so that the injured persons can get proper treatment. The Fire department has been instructed to coordinate with the police so that they can reach the affected areas in time. All the MLAs are worried about the insufficient strength of the police personnel. Also, police officials are unable to act on the situation unless they get orders from senior officials."

After the meeting, the Chief Minister visited Rajghat with his Deputy, all ministers and the MLAs and conducted a prayer for peace. He and other ministers visited the injured police officers and others at various hospitals. He also instructed the hospital authorities to ensure the best possible treatment for the victims.