AAP suggests 2 police forces in Delhi: NDMC police under Centre, rest under Delhi govt

Aam Aadmi Party MLAs assailed Lt Governor VK Saxena and the BJP-ruled Centre during a debate on the law and order situation in the national capital, and said Delhi needed an institutional change.

Citing the drug menace in the city and the Kanjhawala incident, in which a 20-year-old woman was killed after being dragged by a car for over 12 km, they again demanded that the force be placed under the administrative control of the city government.

AAP MLA Rituraj suggested the creation of a separate “NDMC police” force (New Delhi Municipal Council) for the Centre with jurisdiction limited to New Delhi areas, and another force under the Delhi government for the rest of the city.

MLA on Kanjhawala incident

Participating in the discussion on Thursday (January 19) over “steps to improve law and order situation and women security in the light of gruesome death of a girl in Kanjhawala”, Kasturba Nagar MLA Madan Lal demanded capital punishment for the culprits.

“The Delhi LG uses all his energy in creating obstacles in the elected government’s works and he is unable to handle the police properly,” he charged.

Also read: Kanjhawala accident: Murder charges now slapped against 6 accused

“Delhi Police officers are not accountable to the people,” said Rajender Nagar MLA Durgesh Pathak, and demanded the elected government’s control over the police and bureaucracy in Delhi.

Replying to the debate, Minister Gopal Rai said, “A helpless situation has been created in which the Assembly has been reduced to a platform for holding mourning.” He accused the LG of creating “anarchy” in Delhi. “Who is creating anarchy in the city? Is it the one who is installing CCTV cameras to collect evidence… or Delhi’s Lt Governor who is trying hard to save BJP leaders?” he asked.

Rai, in an impassioned address during the session of the House, also said that Delhi needed institutional changes. “It seems, the kind of situation that is in Delhi right now, I feel, in entire India, in any elected House, there is no helplessness to do such mourning. We are mourning for the last three days,” he said.

‘Make police accountable’

Rituraj charged that the law and order situation was “worsening” in Delhi and to ensure that incidents like the one in Kanjhawla were not repeated, accountability of the Delhi police must be fixed. “If you are worried about New Delhi, then there should be an NDMC police and the rest of the law and order should be under the elected government in Delhi,” said the Kirari MLA.

Also read: Delhi women’s panel chief dragged by car for 10-15 metres, accused arrested

Former Minister and Seemapuri MLA, Rajendra Pal Gautam, raised the issue of alleged growing drug abuse and deteriorating law and order situation in Delhi, through a calling attention motion.

“Law and order is the responsibility of the Centre and Delhi Police, who have miserably failed in doing their duty. The Home Ministry and LG have failed to ensure security in Delhi. If the Delhi Police comes under the control of the Kejriwal government, the situation would be tackled more effectively,” Gautam said.

Delhi’s juvenile crime rate

Participating in the debate, Social Welfare Minister Raj Kumar Anand also alleged that the Centre and LG had failed to maintain law and order in Delhi, and claimed that the juvenile crime rate in the city was the highest in the country. He said the AAP government would ensure a proper law and order situation in the city once the Delhi Police came under the control of the city government.

The session was adjourned indefinitely after the debates on the law and order issue. The three-day session that began on Monday (January 16) was extended for a day by the Speaker Ram Niwas Goel on Wednesday (January 18).

(With Agency inputs)