MLAS write to CM, want Delhi Police removed from list of martyr relief

NEW DELHI: A group of 21 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAS from Delhi on Wednesday requested chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to exclude the Delhi Police from the list of security agencies, wherein the next of kin would be entitled to a compensation of ₹1 crore compensation in case the personnel die in the line of duty.

The MLAS said they believed that since the Delhi Police has been allegedly protecting those who attack party leaders, including chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, it did not deserve the benefit. Themovecomesa day after a man was caught while allegedly trying to attack Kejriwal outside his office at the Delhi secretariat.

“The Delhi Police has actively protected attackers of the CM in all earlier cases. Even in the case of attack on minister Imran Hussain, he had to approach the court to get his FIR registered. Police have not filed a chargesheet in any of the attack cases. Should they be rewarded with ₹1 crore?,” AAP spokesperson and Greater Kailash MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj said. He is one of the 21 signatories to the request.

Under a policy approved by the cabinet in July 24, the Delhi government pays ₹1 crore compensation to families of personnel of the armed forces, the police, fire services and paramilitary units who die in the line of duty in the national capital or elsewhere in the country.

The Delhi Police said it was up to the Delhi government whether to continue with the scheme or not. “The matter regarding martyr compensation is a welfare measure for police personnel who lose their lives in the line of duty. The decision for granting of financial assistance of ₹1 crore to the kin of police martyrs was taken by the Delhi government,” Anil Mittal, additional spokesperson of the Delhi Police, said.