Delhi Chief Secretary ‘assault’ case: L-G urges CM Kejriwal to ‘reach out directly to employees’ 

Lt. Governor Anil Baijal (Express Photo)

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal replied to deputy CM Manish Sisodia’s letter and maintained that there was “no strike by any section of bureaucracy” and urged Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to “reach out directly to the employees” since “greater responsibility” remained with him after the alleged attack on chief secretary Anshu Prakash took place at his residence.

The LG added that he would be making all efforts to restore “a sense of security amongst the government employees.”

Meanwhile, AAP attacked the LG, claiming that the alleged attack on Delhi minister Imran Hussain on February 20 was a “conspiracy hatched at the Delhi LG house by the LG, chief secretary and IAS association.”

Noting that the alleged attack, which took place last Monday, “sent shock waves through all sections of government employees in not only Delhi but also in the entire country”, the LG said that he met a number of service associations after meeting the CM and his council of ministers on February 24. The LG office, in a statement said, “He also noted that in his long career in government, he does not recall there being so much of rift between the elected government and bureaucracy, despite Delhi having seen governments of different hues.”

READ | Delhi Chief Secretary attends first official meeting with CM Kejriwal after alleged assault

He said, “From these meetings, the impression he received was that today, government employees in Delhi feel physically insecure, sadly in the very presence of those, who have been elected to uphold democracy and rule of law. In the past also, many officers had complained of ill-treatment by the elected government.”

Responding to the allegations of “ill-treatment”, the LG urged the need for the CM to provide leadership and said, “If their faith in his ability to provide them with a safe and dignified work environment is not restored, it can spell havoc for governance and rule of law.” While stressing on the need for the government and its employees to work together, he said that in the previous meeting he had argued for the need to bridge this trust defecit – but added that, on the same day, an AAP MLA had “allegedly threatened the officials in the presence of the CM”.

Rubbishing the claim that there was a strike ongoing, he said, “As far as (the LG) knew, there had not been any strike by any section of bureaucracy. All the government offices are open and functioning…all that government employees have been asking is that they be provided with a secure environment to work.”

AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj reiterated that no FIR was lodged immediately after the incident. He said, “Clear evidence has emerged that the assault was planned in the meeting and then the IAS Association was given the task of provoking and instigating other employees unions to assault Delhi ministers and other functionaries at the Delhi Secretariat…Later, in the morning, IAS Association called a meeting at best of CS and LG. Officers were instigated to assault every MLA and Minister who could be found in Delhi Secretariat. The officers as a part of unlawful assembly at Delhi Secretariat, thrashed the Minister and his staff members.”

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