Shrivastava made Delhi top cop, says ensuring security primary duty

Days after he was brought into the Delhi police, from the Central Police Force (CRPF), as Special Commissioner (law & order) to deal with the spiralling violence, SN Shrivastava has been given additional charge of the Commissionerate from March 1 until further orders. His appointment orders are scheduled to be issued by the Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.

He replaces Amulya Patnaik, who superannuates on Saturday (February 29). Patnaik’s tenure was extended for a month in January.

Speaking to reporters, he said, “The murder of IB staffer Ankit Sharma was gruesome. We are giving equal importance to all the cases.” He further said, “My primary job will be to ensure that there is a feeling of security and people should also feel police are there for them.”

A 1985-batch officer, Shrivastava belongs to the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory or AGMUT cadre.

Shrivastava’s appointment comes in the backdrop of allegations that the Delhi police was incapable of controlling the mayhem that rocked the city for days.

Related news: Delhi riots: Some stories symptomatic of old patterns, police inaction

Social media was abuzz with news of police presence being minimal or thin in areas where clashes were on. Also, a record number of phone calls were made in the last few days when violence continued unabated.

But following improvement on the ground, with no incidents of violence having been reported, the Union Home Ministry lifted the ban in northeast Delhi for 10 hours on Friday.

So far, 48 FIRs have been filed and more than 500 suspects have either been detained or arrested.

The announcement was made at a time when the death toll in Delhi’s communal violence rose to 39.