Home Secy questioned over Bassi’s comments against CM Kejriwal

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi on Tuesday faced tough questions from members of a Parliamentary Standing Committee over some recent actions by Delhi Police, including verbal attacks on the Arvind Kejriwal government and raid on Kerala House over beef issue.

Mehrishi also faced questions on Dadri lynching and burning of two Dalit children in Haryana even as he contended that law and order is a state subject and his ministry has no jurisdiction on such matters, sources said. Appearing before the Standing Committee on Home Affairs, the Home Secretary was asked by Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien as to why Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi was making statements attacking Kejriwal, the democratically-elected Chief Minister, the sources said.

O’Brien asked him whether and when Bassi will be issued a showcause notice by the Union Home Ministry, which has direct jurisdiction over Delhi Police, they said.

The raking up of Bassi’s adverse comments by the Trinamool leader against Kejriwal on Tuesday is significant considering the fact that his party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would be meeting the Delhi Chief Minister on Wednesday. O’Brien also referred to the raid by Delhi Police on Kerala House here some weeks ago over the beef issue. He questioned how Delhi Police could give a clean chit to itself and asked the Home Secretary to furnish all details related to the incident to the Committee, the sources said.

The TMC also sought an update on the attack on church in Delhi over a year back. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury raised the issue of Dadri lynching and burning to death of two Dalit children in Haryana’s Faridabad along with other communal incidents in the country, the sources said.