Hand Over Police To Delhi Govt: Kejriwal To Centre

NEW DELHI: In the wake of gruesome murder of a 19-year-old girl, Arvind Kejriwal today renewed his long- standing demand for handing over of Delhi Police to the city government even as police Commissioner B S Bassi said he will try to dispel "misconceptions" about functioning of his force in his meeting tomorrow with the chief minister.

Keeping up his tirade against the Centre on functioning of Delhi Police, Kejriwal urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to look into his demand seriously, alleging that law and order situation in the capital was "on a decline".

"I request Prime Minister Narendra Modi with folded hands that the control of Delhi Police be handed over to us. He has to run the complete country. I am not saying Delhi Police officials are wrong.

"They are very good people and are working but the system is bad. Even Police officials themselves are frustrated with this and no improvement is happening," he claimed.

Terming the murder of the girl as "shocking", Kejriwal said crime-related incidents were "increasing" and women do not feel safe and "whenever we talk to senior police officials, they have one answer that they are under the Centre's control."

The chief minister has called police Commissioner Bassi for a meeting tomorrow at 4 pm in which the top cop is likely to explain to him about the steps being taken to improve the law and order situation.

Nineteen-year-old Minakshi was brutally stabbed to death allegedly by two brothers living in her neighbourhood in central Delhi's Anand Parbat area for protesting their verbally abusing her on July 16.

"I will definitely go and meet him and will exchange our thoughts...There is a possibility of him telling something useful to us and maybe I will give him something which will make him informative towards policing because I have been working for 38 years in the department.

"As a professional police officer it is my duty that I should remove any misconceptions about policing. I have a good opportunity with the meeting to clear misconception if any," Bassi told reporters.

AAP has been at loggerheads with Delhi Police over a number of issues and the party has stepped up its attack against it after arrest of two of its MLAs. It has been accusing Delhi Police of "bias" against it, saying, its MLAs are being "targeted" under political pressure.

Earlier today, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged a protest against Delhi Police holding it responsible for the incident, in which a young girl was fatally stabbed in Anand Parbat locality three days ago, saying it has "failed" to provide security to women.

Delhi BJP President Satish Upadhyay and Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) Chief Ajay Maken visited the girl's residence, a day after Kejriwal visited the family.

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