SAD MP Naresh Gujral outside Parliament. (Express Photo/ Anil Sharma)
Demanding that the situation in communal violence-scarred Delhi be brought under control at the earliest, leaders of three key BJP allies on Thursday sought action against leaders who have made provocative remarks and condemned the “apathy” and “inaction” of Delhi Police.
JD(U) leader K C Tyagi said the police did not show “any interest in controlling the situation or containing violence. He also said there was neither enough deployment nor a “clear direction” on how to contain the violence.
Naresh Gujral, Rajya Sabha MP and leader of ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah about a personal experience on the unresponsive nature of Delhi Police. He narrated an incident in which his calls, identifying himself as an MP and seeking help for some Muslim people “trapped in a house near Gonda Chowk in Maujpur”, met with no police response.
“I would urge you to look into this matter so that serious complaints receive the urgent attention that they deserve and the situation in Delhi is brought under control expeditiously,” he stated. Gujral marked copies to Delhi L-G Anil Baijal and Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik, too.
Tyagi said his party condemns all provocative comments by political leaders, be it from BJP’s Kapil Mishra or AIMIM’s Waris Pathan. Pointing out that Mishra’s ultimatum to those protesting against CAA led to clashes in the area, Tyagi told The Indian Express: “There should be action against people like Mishra and Pathan. It’s time parties expel them — such elements should be removed from the political system.”
Tyagi also said there was no violence “before Mishra arrived”.
Another NDA ally, LJP’s Chirag Paswan, has said statements of BJP leaders such as Mishra had incited violence and sought action against them.
On his PCR call after being informed that 16 people were “trapped…and a mob was trying to break in”, Gujral stated that there was no police action, even though he had told the operator that he is an MP. “They fortunately managed to escape only because some Hindu neighbours came to the rescue,” he added.