Police brass faces CM’s ire
24 Dec 2012 2:05 AM GMT
Delhi police brass came under fresh fire on Sunday, with chief minister Sheila Dikshit expressing unhappiness over the way protest by peaceful agitators was handled. The Delhi cabinet held an emergency meeting at the chief minister’s residence on Sunday evening, where ‘failure of the police to prevent crime and mishandling of the protest was discussed in detail’.
Later, the chief minister met home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to apprise him about the opinion of her government regarding the way police failed to prevent infiltration of the peaceful movement by hooligans and members of political parties. She reportedly told the home minister that ‘though law and order is not under government, it is the responsibility of the government to protect its dwellers’.
Sources said the Delhi cabinet expressed concern at the total lackadaisical attitude of the police in handling the matter and ineffective monitoring of the case by the Lieutenant Governor, to whom the police reports. Lieutenant Governor Tejender Khanna has been out of the country and is likely to return early on Monday morning. After the meeting, addressing the media, Dikshit said, ‘Senior police officers must be held responsible. The responsibility must be fixed at the highest level.’
Dikshit’s statement showed a clear difference of opinion with the Ministry of Home Affairs. Home Secretary RK Singh had, on Friday, patted Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar for quick arrest of the accused. Singh had come to Kumar’s rescue when a mediaperson had asked the latter whether he should not step down in face of the police failure to prevent such a heinous act.
Dikshit said, ‘The MHA should deliver a strong message to the police to take measures.’
Later, the chief minister met home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to apprise him about the opinion of her government regarding the way police failed to prevent infiltration of the peaceful movement by hooligans and members of political parties. She reportedly told the home minister that ‘though law and order is not under government, it is the responsibility of the government to protect its dwellers’.
Sources said the Delhi cabinet expressed concern at the total lackadaisical attitude of the police in handling the matter and ineffective monitoring of the case by the Lieutenant Governor, to whom the police reports. Lieutenant Governor Tejender Khanna has been out of the country and is likely to return early on Monday morning. After the meeting, addressing the media, Dikshit said, ‘Senior police officers must be held responsible. The responsibility must be fixed at the highest level.’
Dikshit’s statement showed a clear difference of opinion with the Ministry of Home Affairs. Home Secretary RK Singh had, on Friday, patted Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar for quick arrest of the accused. Singh had come to Kumar’s rescue when a mediaperson had asked the latter whether he should not step down in face of the police failure to prevent such a heinous act.
Dikshit said, ‘The MHA should deliver a strong message to the police to take measures.’
Next Story
