SHAH, KEJRIWAL, L-G HOLD MEET ON CLASHES
NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah has requested all political parties to form so-called peace committees in various neighbourhoods in north-east Delhi, comprising their representatives and local community leaders, to control the violence.
He also asked them to work with Delhi Police to restore order and quell rumours.
Both requests were made during a high-level meeting chaired by Shah and attended by the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, members of various political parties, and senior bureaucrats and police officers.
During the meeting, Shah asked all “political parties to avoid provocative speeches and statements”, the Union home ministry said in a statement.
On Monday, the Union home minister had held a late-night meeting after returning from an event in Ahmedabad.
NEWDELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has requested all political parties to form so-called peace committees in various neighbourhoods in North-east Delhi, comprising their representatives and local community leaders to control the violence.
He also asked them to work with Delhi Police to restore order and quell rumours.
Both requests were made during a high-level meeting chaired by Shah and attended by the Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, members of various political parties, and senior bureaucrats and police officers. As many as 13 people were killed in the clashes.
Shah cancelled his visit to Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, although it wasn’t immediately clear whether he was staying back to oversee the capital’s return to normalcy.
The home ministry did not immediately ascribe a reason for the change in his schedule.
During the meeting, the home minister asked all “political parties to avoid provocative speeches and statements,” the Union Home Ministry said in a statement.
He also wrote to the family of Rattan Lal – the Delhi Police head constable who was killed when deployed Maujpur, one of the affected areas – expressing his grief and offering his condolences. In his letter to family, the minister described Lal as a “courageous” officer.
Shah’s meeting with representatives of political parties, senior bureaucrats, and police officers, including Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik, was the second in 24 hours. On Monday night, he held a latenight meeting after returning from the Namaste Trump event at Ahmedabad. Shah advanced his return after reports of rioting and arson reached him.
“The minister was to reach
Delhi late yesterday night; however, he flew out hours ahead of schedule,” a senior home ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
The riots, which started off as clashes between pro- and antiCitizenship Amendment Act protestors, came at an inconvenient time for the Centre -- during US President Donald Trump’s inaugural state visit to India.
The borders of Delhi with Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have also been under surveillance for the last three days and Delhi Police has been taking adequate steps, the home ministry said.
Shah also noted that “the Delhi Police” was a professional organization and “adequately empowered to decide on the amount of force needed to diffuse tension where necessary,” the ministry’s statement added.
Although initial assessments indicated that Delhi Police was outnumbered by rioters, Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik denied this. “We have enough manpower and total support of the government,” he told news agency ANI.
“The home minister assured that Delhi Police will be deployed in full strength. It appears earlier that police deployment was less but we were assured it will be adequate,” CM Kejriwal told reporters after the meeting. “Army may be deployed if needed but at present police taking action.”
“We have all agreed to rise above politics and ensure the situation is brought under control,” Manoj Tiwari Delhi BJP chief said.
SHAH’S MEETING WITH POLITICAL LEADERS, SENIOR BUREAUCRATS, AND POLICE OFFICERS, INCLUDING DELHI POLICE COMMISSIONER AMULYA PATNAIK, WAS THE SECOND IN 24 HOURS