A delegation of AAP MLAs on Tuesday met the Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and demanded strictest punishment for the people involved in the Kanjhawala incident.
AAP senior Atishi alleged that the Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and Delhi Police are leaving no stone unturned in protecting the perpetrators of Kanjhawala because they are BJP leaders.
“It seems that the entire police department from top to bottom is trying to save the accused despite the gruesomeness of the crime. Along with the accused, strict action should also be taken against the police officers who weakened the case, so that police personnel also fear that strict action can be taken against them if they do not maintain law and order,” she demanded.
The Police Commissioner ensured them that after the investigation, strict action will be taken against the guilty police officers, and hope that he is not making empty promises.
“The Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has directed the Prosecution Department to ensure that Delhi's best criminal lawyer is given to the victim’s family so that even if there are some shortcomings of the police, they can overcome them too. Police officials have weakened the FIR; they even delayed the FIR related by 15 hours and the post-mortem by 36 hours. It is clear from this case that the local police was making every possible effort to suppress the case by weakening the FIR and defending the accused,” said AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj.
Lashing out on the lapse of police action regarding the incident, Atishi said that there were police officials from the area of the crime who did not see the accused drag this girl under their car for 12 kilometres. There were police officials who did not rush to protect the girl even after receiving numerous PCR calls.
“There were officers who initially filed an FIR under lighter penal provisions and that too only against one of the accused. There was a DCP of Delhi Police who publicly defended the accused and also threatened journalists when they asked him if this could be a case of rape and murder,” she said.
“The DCP even went to the extent of forcing news reporters to delete their tweets from social media. Besides taking the strictest of action against the accused in this case, we have also requested the Delhi Police Commissioner to take exemplary action against police officers who failed to do their duty in this case. This is necessary as there should be an element of fear installed in such officers who do not listen to the people whom they are duty-bound to protect,” she added.
The AAP delegation submitted a memorandum listing their five demands including the accused were being shielded by the DCP, the DCP in this case should be dismissed, all the policemen posted on that route should be dismissed, officer who lodged the FIR under minor sections should be sacked.
“Apart from this, strictest action should be taken considering this matter as the rarest of rare cases, and according to media reports, the accused in this incident have political clout, Delhi Police should take the strictest action against the accused without coming under political pressure,” the memorandum stated.