Delhi CM blames Delhi Police for mess, top cop passes the buck

Coming down heavily on the deteriorating state of law and order in the Capital, chief minister Sheila Dikshit blamed the Delhi Police for rising crime against women.

Coming down heavily on the deteriorating state of law and order in the Capital, chief minister Sheila Dikshit blamed the Delhi Police for rising crime against women.

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"It is a matter of shame that women do not feel secure in the Capital of the country… This is not acceptable," Dikshit said at a function held at Delhi Secretariat to celebrate International Women's Day.

It was also attended by Delhi Police commissioner BK Gupta.

While Gupta tried to rely on statistics to present a rosy picture of law and order, Dikshit said women in Delhi continued to feel unsafe.

"We invited you here to convey our great concern about the feeling of insecurity among the women in the city. I want to ask you do we feel safe in the city? If women in the Capital do not feel secure, is it not a matter of shame?" Dikshit said.

The CM has been expressing concern on the increasing crime in the capital at every forum. In a candid interview with Hindustan Times on February 11, the chief minister had said the crime scene in Delhi was "very worrisome".

"Whatever the police need (more stringent laws) from us, we are willing to give them (to make Delhi a safer city). But the eventual sense of safety has to be given by the police," Dikshit had said in the interview.

Speaking at the function, Gupta blamed the lack of sensitivity for increasing violence.

"We are very passive. The incidents will come down if people react strongly against them," said Gupta.

Reacting to the murder, PM Manmohan wife Gursharan Kaur said crimes against women are a "cause for concern" and incidents like the broad daylight murder of a girl outside her college in the city are "sad and shameful".

“..Whosoever has done it should be punished. I hope that man will be captured and action taken against him,” she added.