New delhi, Jan 8 (DHNS): The Delhi Police are in for more flak with an embarrassed union home ministry ordering a probe into charges made by the gang-rape victim's friend that the police had not responded as quickly as claimed by them to a distress call.
The victim’s friend, in an interview to a television channel, had laid bare Delhi police claim of acting promptly and swiftly on December 16 when the top cops had said that the Police Control Room (PCR) vans had reached the spot in four minutes flat after receiving a distress call about a bleeding girl and a boy lying on a south Delhi road.
The boy had charged that after a biker had called the police, three PCR vans took about 15 to 20 minutes to reach the spot. Instead of immediately shifting the injured duo to hospital, the vans’ personnel were squabbling among themselves over jurisdiction, which is each asking the other to take the victims to hospital as the spot where they were found falls in their area of operation.
A senior home ministry officer said that a joint secretary-level officer will probe the authenticity of the claim by the software engineer-friend of the victim, who also exposed Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit after she alleged that police was trying to interfere when a woman SDM was collecting the victim’s statement. He had denied that there was any attempt from the police to tinker with the victim’s statement – which is a contradiction of what Sheila Dikshit wrote to union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, pointing fingers at the conduct of the police.
The officer will go through the official records, check the log book of PCR and talk to witnesses to find out if the victim’s friend’s version was authentic.
The ministry has ordered an inquiry as minister Shinde and home secretary R K Singh had publicly patted police for reaching the spot in four minutes and rushing the girl to hospital.
Congress spokesperson and Delhi chief minister’s son Sandeep Dikshit agreed that the victim’s friend’s statements is “serious” and needs “complete and independent inquiry”.
Dikshit, who has been gunning for police commissioner Neeraj Kumar’s head said, “what the girl’s friend said is of serious nature. It also narrates how police should handle such cases of crime against women”.
He wished the Justice Mehra committee, would also take cognizance of his statement.
Maya demands Prez rule in UP
Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati on Monday demanded imposition of President's rule in Uttar Pradesh citing failure of the constitutional machinery following the worsening law and order situation in the state, reports DHNS from Lucknow.
Speaking to reporters here, Mayawati said incidents of rape, extortion, murders and kidnaps had been rising in the state ever since the Samajwadi Party government assumed office. “The current regime has miserably failed to stem the rising crime graph.
The people of the state have been living under perpetual fear,” she alleged. Citing the recent Noida rape and murder case, Mayawati alleged that the UP Police were trying to hush up rape cases rather than nabbing culprits and giving justice to the victims.
“We urge the governor to submit a report to the President of India bringing the prevailing situation to his notice and recommend imposition of President's rule,” she said.