Political slugfest after Rinku Sharma murder

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the law and order situation in Delhi and demanded that the Central government give ₹1 crore compensation to the family of Rinku Sharma, whose murder had triggered tension in the city’s Mangolpuri area last week.

The BJP hit back accusing the AAP of engaging in “petty politics” on the issue and instead demanded that the Delhi government pay ₹1 crore compensation to Sharma’s family.

Sharma, who worked as a lab technician at a private hospital, was stabbed while returning home from a birthday party on Wednesday night.

The murder of the 25-year-old had taken communal colours on Friday, with some leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stating on social media that Sharma was collecting money for construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

While the AAP is in charge of the elected government in Delhi, law and order (which involves the charge of the Delhi Police) comes under the purview Bjpled Central government.

“The family of victim Rinku Sharma alleged that the utterance of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ has resulted in Rinku Sharma’s murder. People belonging to all communities are unsafe in Delhi, such is the law and order situation. People of Delhi voted for the BJP in the Centre in a huge majority for the last two consecutive terms, but the BJP has miserably failed to protect them. Why has Union home minister Amit Shah not visited the family of Rinku Sharma yet and why didn’t he at least tweet about this matter?” said the AAP’S national spokesperson Raghav Chadha.

Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta hit back, saying, “The Arvind Kejriwal government is engaging in petty politics over the issue .... We demand the Delhi government pay the family ₹1 crore as compensation immediately.”