Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal writes a letter to Lieutenant Governor

New Delhi, June 20 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written a letter to Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena expressing concerns over the "deteriorating" law and order situation in the national capital, and held the L-G and Home Minister responsible for the condition.

Kejriwal stated that four murders have occurred within 24 hours which have made the people feel highly unsafe.

"I am writing this letter to urgently bring to your attention the alarming rise in serious crimes in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. The severity of the situation can be understood from the distressing fact that four murders have taken place in different parts of Delhi in the last 24 hours," reads his letter.

Kejriwal requested the L-G to take urgent and effective steps to restore residents' confidence in the security and safety of their lives, as these serious crimes have shaken Delhi. He emphasized that those responsible for ensuring the safety of Delhi's residents should not be seen as repeatedly failing in their duty.

"At this critical moment, as a citizen of Delhi who has been entrusted with a constitutional responsibility by over two crore residents of the national capital, I am ready to provide all possible cooperation to ensure the rule of law in the NCT of Delhi. While I firmly believe that the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, which was published last year, should have served as an eye-opener for the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the LG, both of whom are directly responsible for maintaining law and order here, unfortunately, that did not happen. According to this NCRB report, Delhi alone accounted for 32.20 per cent of the total crimes against women out of the total crimes that occurred in 19 metropolitan cities in India," the letter read.

Kejriwal mentioned that "due to a lack of Delhi Police personnel in the field, residents were being forced to hire private guards in large numbers to ensure their safety and protect their properties".

"I must state that the urgency required for crime prevention in Delhi is completely absent on the part of decision-makers responsible for maintaining law and order here. The need of the hour is to ensure effective police patrolling, particularly during nighttime, and to engage with the residents of Delhi to find ways to improve the law and order situation," read Kejriwal's letter.

Kejriwal proposed a meeting between his cabinet colleagues and the L-G for a meaningful discussion. He urged that police officers be directed to hold joint meetings with elected MLAs, councillors, and RWAs to suggest better ways of reducing crimes in the national capital.

"Thana level committees existed in Delhi until 2013, providing a platform for active and regular engagement between the police, the people, and elected representatives. These committees should be revived," the letter said.

Overall, Kejriwal emphasized the need for collaboration among MLAs, RWAs, and the people to improve the law and order situation in Delhi and requested the revival of Police Station level committees.