In a dig at Centre, Delhi CM says law and order in bad shape

New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ministers slammed PM Narendra Modi and Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena over the firing incident at Saket court on Friday which left two injured.

“The law-and-order situation in Delhi has completely broken down. Instead of obstructing the work of others and doing dirty politics on everything, everyone should focus on their own work. And if he does not manage, then he should resign so that someone else can do it. The safety of the people cannot be left on God’s grace,” Kejriwal said in a veiled attack on the LG.

He later tweeted, “Prime Minister, Delhi Police comes under you. Will it be investigated? Will the guilty go to jail?”

The LG and the Delhi government have been engaged in a tussle over jurisdiction with CM Kejriwal accusing the LG of obstructing the work of the AAP-led government, a charge categorically denied by the LG. Land, police and public order come under the preview of the central government in Delhi because it is a union territory (UT).

In separate press conferences, Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj also hit out at the LG and the Centre over the Saket court shooting.

“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?” Bharadwaj said.

The AAP leader flagged that this was not the first such incident. “Just a few weeks ago, a prominent lawyer who was leaving the Dwarka Court was shot dead outside it,” Bharadwaj said, adding that the law and order situation was deteriorating in the Capital.

No response was available from either the LG office or Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In another press conference, AAP minister Atishi said the law-and-order situation in Delhi needs immediate attention after Friday’s incident. “Even the court premises are not safe. The graph of crime is rising in Delhi, but instead of paying attention to the situation of law and order, the LG is busy garnering credit for the work done by the Kejriwal government. It is my request to the LG that his responsibility is to improve Delhi’s security and law and order. He should fulfil his responsibility and give the people of Delhi a safe city,” Atishi said.

The AAP leaders also flagged alleged discrepancies in expenses by the district level officers of Delhi Police and claimed there was a ₹350 crore scam.

“ ₹350 crore was embezzled through LG-administered Delhi Police by diverting professional service fees through fake bills. It has been more than 24 hours since news reports about ₹350 crore discrepancies were first published. However, the LG has not spoken on the matter yet. The Centre should explain why the Delhi Police is investigating a scam committed by its own senior officers. LG should have handed over the investigation of this scam to CBI-ED by now. Who does he want to save by remaining silent?” said Bharadwaj.

The AAP minister demanded that the “scam” should be investigated by an independent agency.

The Delhi Police headquarters had ordered a sweeping review of expenses made by its district-level officers in the last financial year amid allegations that there were discrepancies in statements. According to officials, more than ₹350 crore were released to different districts last fiscal.