Delhi Minister says, Take action against negligent cops for civilian deaths

Atishi, a member of the Delhi Cabinet and a leader of the AAP, penned a letter to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Sunday pleading with him to take action against ‘negligent’ officers in connection with the deaths of two persons in separate incidences in Harsh Vihar and LNJP Hospital.

For the past eight years, Delhi’s services have been under the Lieutenant Governor’s control. However, no action has been taken against any officer for misconduct or carelessness, Atishi said on Sunday, adding, ‘Years of inaction by the L-G against negligent and corrupt officers is why today’s incidents are happening.’

Atishi went on to add, ‘Till the time you (the L-G) have the power of services, you will have to take immediate action against these negligent officers.’

The AAP leader was alluding to two different occurrences in the city that resulted in the deaths of two individuals. Ajit Sharma, 51, was on his way home from dropping off a passenger in Bhajanpura in east Delhi on Friday when his autorickshaw became stranded in a wet ditch close to Wazirabad. He fell in the ditch and died when he exited the car to push it.

In the second incident, a construction worker was electrocuted while working on a building that was still under construction on the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital’s grounds.

Accusing the LG of maintaining a ‘silence’ on the issue, Atishi said, ‘Due to their (the officers) negligence, two lives have been lost. You (the L-G) must break your silence and take immediate action, otherwise the people of Delhi will continue to suffer like this.’

‘Lack of accountability of L-G is the reason why control over officers needs to be with the elected government,’ AAP leader Atishi said on Sunday.

Days prior to her statement, the AAP-led Delhi government filed a petition with the Supreme Court questioning the constitutionality of the Centre’s ordinance on service control. In it, the Delhi government referred to the ordinance as a ‘unconstitutional exercise of executive fiat’ that sought to ‘override’ both the Supreme Court and the core values of the Constitution.