New Delhi (IANS): A 12-MLA delegation of the Aam Aadmi Party submitted a memorandum to Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora on Tuesday, relaying the party’s demand for justice for Anjali, the 20-year-old woman who died a horrific death after being dragged by a car for about 12 km in the early hours of Sunday.
The delegation led by senior AAP leaders Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj demanded that the Delhi Police should take the strictest action against the accused without coming under pressure, even if the latter are BJP leaders.
The AAP placed five demands to the police commissioner.
“The accused were being shielded by the DCP handling the case, who should be dismissed. Also, all the policemen posted on that route should be dismissed,” read the memorandum, which said strictest action should be taken considering this matter as a rarest of rare cases.
The other demands include sacking the officer who lodged the FIR under minor sections.
“According to media reports, the accused in this incident have political clout. Delhi Police should take strictest action against the accused without coming under political pressure,” read the memorandum.
“Delhi L-G and Delhi Police are leaving no stone unturned in protecting the perpetrators of the Kanjhawala incident, because they are BJP leaders. It seems that the entire police department, from top to bottom, is trying to save the accused despite the gruesomeness of the crime. Along with the accused, strict action should also be taken against the police officers who weakened the case, so that police personnel also fear that strict action can be taken against them if they do not maintain law and order,” said Atishi.
She added, “The Commissioner has said that after an investigation, action will be taken against the guilty police officers. We hope that he is not making empty promises.”
Atishi also claimed that a DCP publicly defended the accused and also threatened journalists when they asked him if this could be a case of rape and murder.
The AAP MLA said, “The DCP even went to the extent of forcing news reporters to delete their tweets from social media. Besides taking the strictest of action against the accused in this case, we have also requested the Commissioner to take exemplary action against the officers who failed to perform their duty in this case.”
Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “The CM has directed the Prosecution Department to ensure that Delhi’s best criminal lawyer is given to the victim’s family so that even if there are some shortcomings of the police, they can overcome them. The police have weakened the FIR; they even delayed the FIR by 15 hours and the post-mortem by 36 hours. It is clear from this case that the local police are making every possible effort to suppress the case by weakening the FIR and defending the accused.”
A Delhi Police officer on Tuesday spoke for just 1.33 minutes while giving details of the investigation into case.
Addressing a press conference, Sagar Preet Hooda, Special Commissioner of Police (law and order), said that one more woman was with the victim at the time of the incident.
“She had suffered no injuries and went back to her home after the incident. Now we have an eyewitness and her statement is being recorded. This makes our case strong and we will complete the investigation very soon,” said Hooda.
However, he did not take any questions from the media, leaving several queries unanswered.
* After the victim’s Scooty was hit by the car, how did the woman get stuck under the car?
* Where were the police patrolling units of the area even as the woman was dragged for up to 12 km? Was there no police presence in that stretch despite the deployment of more than 16,000 police personnel across the city on December 31 night till January 1 morning?
* How is it possible that those sitting inside the car did not feel that something got stuck under the car?
* Why did the accused drove on a selected route for nearly an hour with the body still stuck under the car?
* Exactly at what time did the accident occur and for how long was the victim dragged by the Maruti Baleno car?
The incident has once again raised the issue of women’s safety in the national capital.
Five occupants of the car, suspected to be under the influence of alcohol, have been arrested in connection with case after being booked under Sections 304-A (causing death by negligence) and 279 (rash driving) of the Indian Penal Code. Later, following protest by the victim’s family members, the police added IPC Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) to the FIR.
The blood samples of the five accused have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory to test if they were under the influence of alcohol. The report is yet to come.
Police have, as per the initial post-mortem report, ruled out sexual assault of the victim. However, the ‘final opinion’ will come after the receipt of a chemical analysis report of the biological samples which have been preserved.
A source said that a full report will be submitted to the Union Home Ministry along with an inquiry report, which is being prepared by the Special Commissioner of Police, Shalini Singh, on Wednesday.
MEANWHILE, the last rites of Anjali, the 20-year-old woman who died a painful death after being dragged by a car for about 12 km in the early hours of Sunday, were performed at the Shiv Puri Mukti Dham crematorium on Tuesday evening.
More than 1,000 police and paramilitary forces personnel were deployed along the stretch from the victim’s house till the cremation ground to avoid any untoward incidents.
Over 50 police vehicles escorted the ambulance in which the deceased’s body was taken for the final journey. However, nobody was allowed to enter the cremation ground except for the family members.
A large number of people gathered outside the cremation ground, carrying placards and photos of the victim, raising ‘Justice for Anjali’ slogans to mark their protest against the police.
“Where were the police when the incident took place?” asked an angry protester.
“Anjali should get justice. We demand capital punishment for the accused,” said Rampal, a resident of Karan Vihar.
“Where were the police when the victim was dragged for 12 km? How many police vehicles were there in the area?” asked another protester, adding that police personnel found guilty of negligence should be suspended.
Anjali died in a horrific accident on the outskirts of Delhi in the early hours of Sunday, after being dragged for around 12 km from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala under the car that had hit her scooty. Five persons who were in the car have been arrested are are presently in police custody.
