The stage is set for a face-off between the AAP Government and the Centre on the contentious issue of control over the Delhi Police. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday threatened to sit on a dharna before Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s office from Monday if his demand for the suspension of four police officials for alleged non-cooperation with Ministers was not met by Sunday.
This came after lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung and Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi reportedly refused to accept Kejriwal’s demand. The lieutenant-Governor, rather, ordered an enquiry by a retired judge into the Malviya Nagar and the Sagarpur incidents. In his memorandum to Shinde, Kejriwal has said that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) can retain control over the cantonment and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) but sought the controlling powers over the Delhi Police.
“We will not remain quiet, this isn’t the Sheila Dikshit Government. We are the Aam Aadmi Government and will teach police how to act. We are being accused of vigilantism, but we are a different Government. “This Government won’t make any excuses like ‘Delhi Police is not under us’, they will have to do their duty. We will fix the police even if it doesn’t come under us,” Kejriwal said. The tussle between the Delhi Police and the AAP Government has taken political twist with the BJP and the Congress hitting out at the AAP for trying to pressurise the police which is under the Central Government.
After December 16 gang-rape then Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s repeatedly demanded the ouster of Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar, the MHA did not act. The big question is whether MHA will act against Delhi Police officials on the demand of Kejriwal Government.
Earlier in the day, Kejriwal and his Cabinet colleagues Rakhi Birla, Somnath Bharti and Manish Sisodia met lieutenant-Governor at Raj Niwas where Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi was also present along with the four police officials who are under fire from the AAP Ministers. At the meeting, which lasted for an hour, Kejriwal and the Ministers raised the issue of women’s safety in the Capital and complained against Delhi Police for not acting on the complaints of Ministers and demanded suspension of the three SHOs and the ACP for their alleged refusal to cooperate. They also called for the suspension of the Paharganj SHO after the Danish woman was allegedly gang-raped in his area.