Shrivastava to be Delhi’s top cop

deceived and ignored,” said Rohit Sharma, a bank employee and resident of Chand Bagh area.

“We took shelter in our relative’s house for the next two days. After the situation normalised, we came back on Friday. I keep thinking about the mob mentality, how someone can kill a human being without any reason,” said Sharma, who is still in shock.

“If the guilty of 1984 had been punished, we wouldn’t have seen the 1993 Mumbai riots and the 2002 Gujarat riots. Be prepared for it as it will keep happening until the government takes firm action,” said Najeeb, a resident of Maujpur whose friend was killed in the riot.

“We don’t hate anybody. We just want justice and compensation, which will secure the future of our next generation. However, the wounds will remain in our heart, soul, and mind. Though time will lessen the pain, the memory of the tragedy will stay forever,” he added.

Senior IPS officer Sachidanand Shrivastava, on whom the government relied heavily to wipe out terror camps in the trouble-torn Jammu and Kashmir, will get the additional charge of the Delhi police commissioner from Sunday. He will take charge from incumbent Amulya Patnaik, who demits office on Saturday. A notification issued by the Union home ministry said that Shrivastava will take the additional charge of the top cop until further orders.

On Monday, Shrivastava was repatriated from the CRPF and appointed as the special commissioner (law and order) of the Delhi police, amid the communal violence in parts of northeast Delhi.

While touring the riot-hit areas, Shrivastava said: “My primary job will be to ensure that there is a feeling of security and people should also feel the police are there for them.”

The elevation of Shrivastava comes at a time when Delhi is witnessing one of the biggest communal conflagrations in decades and the police force is being blamed for inaction.

As pressure mounted on the cops for not acting against the rioters, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval himself visited the worst affected areas. “People did not believe intentions of Delhi police during the violence. Even the image of the commissioner of Delhi Police (Patnaik) was not very good for whatever reasons…” he said.