‘Inshallah, it will be fine’: NSA Doval takes charge
NEW DELHI: Hours after US President Donald Trump left Delhi on Tuesday, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval hit the ground at midnight to control the volatile situation in the national capital, toured riot-hit northeastern neighbourhoods of Delhi on Wednesday and reassured people that law enforcement agencies had been deployed to keep them safe.
By Wednesday morning, hours after Doval first visited the north-east deputy commissioner’s office to take stock of the situation and issue instructions, the fire of the communal riots, which has killed at least 27 people, appeared to simmer down. Security forces carried out flag marches in several parts of northeast Delhi through the day.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tasked NSA Doval with the job of restoring normalcy in the riot-hit areas as concerns grew over inept handling of the spiraling violence by the Delhi Police.
Analysts said that the scale of violence preceding the ground action by the NSA showed the Delhi Police had completely failed to rein rioters, leading to an alarming number of deaths and unprecedented destruction in the national capital.
The Delhi Police have been widely criticised for not acting against rioters on Monday and Tuesday – the 48 hours when the communal violence was at its peak.
On Wednesday, Doval sought to assure residents stricken by fear, including a Muslim student who said that the police did not protect them from mobs who vandalised shops and set vehicles on fire. “We are not feeling safe and comfortable,” the 22-year-old girl named Ifra Parvez told Doval in Brahmpuri, as people watched on.
Doval responded: “I give you my word, you do not have to worry. It is the responsibility of the police, it is the responsibility of the government.”
As he walked through congested lanes of north-east Delhi neighbourhoods, he said to locals: “What has happened has happened. Inshallah, there will be complete peace here.”
Walking along with Doval in the riot-hit streets was SN Shrivastava, an IPS officer who was hurriedly appointed as special commissioner to be the chief of law and order in Delhi.
Delhi Police commissioner Amulya Patnaik, who has been widely criticised for not responding proportionately to the inflamed situation, wasn’t around when Doval walked around in areas such as Maujpur, Jafrabad and Brahmpuri. Patnaik is set to retire on Saturday.
On Wednesday morning, Doval presented his assessment of the situation to the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by the PM and detailed the steps taken to end the violence.
Later in the day, as he visited the riot-hit areas, Doval said he was there on the instructions of Modi and home minister Amit Shah. “Police is working hard. Only some criminals were involved in this. One should try resolving issues and not increasing them. There were incidents earlier but today it is calm. Locals want peace. We have full faith there will be peace,” he said.
He patted the shoulder of an elderly man in one of the areas and said: “If there is any problem at all, just inform… Force is deployed here to ensure you all remain safe.”
When a woman said she was extremely scared when violence broke out, the NSA told her: “Don’t be scared. Maintain peace and harmony. We have to live together and take the country forward.”
“The situation is totally under control. People are satisfied. I have confidence in law enforcement agencies. The police are doing their work,” he added during his tour.
The NSA later returned to the North Block to brief Shah about the law and order situation.
Doval first took a round of the riot-hit areas around midnight on Tuesday after visiting the office of DCP Ved Prakash Surya in Seelampur. He was accompanied by police commissioner Patnaik.
An official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that it was for the first time in the history of the national capital that the NSA had to go to a police station area and hit the ground to assess a riot situation.
Vikram Singh, former DGP of Uttar Pradesh Police, said the NSA was forced to step in as senior officers of the Delhi Police, including its commissioner, did not take to the streets early on as part of a confidence-building measures.
“The senior-most police officers should have been out on the streets instead of sitting in their ivory towers. But that did not happen and the NSA stepped in to do their job,” said Singh.