A toddler and a five-year-old girl were gang-raped here in separate incidents, leading to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who visited the victims in hospital on Saturday, questioning the measures taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung to protect women in the capital and demanding control over Delhi Police.
The two-and-a-half-year-old, who was raped by two men in west Delhi's Nangloi area, continued to be in a critical condition on Saturday while the five-year-old was raped by three men in east Delhi's Anand Vihar.
Questioning steps taken by Modi and Jung, who are responsible for law and order in the capital, to protect children, Kejriwal later tweeted: "Repeated rape of minors is shameful and worrying. Delhi Police has completely failed to provide safety. What are PM and his LG doing?"
According to a police officer in Nangloi, the two-and-a-half-year-old was kidnapped from outside her home, where she was after a power cut, by two men and brutally raped. She was found bleeding at a nearby park early on Saturday.
The victim was rushed to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital where she is undergoing treatment for her injuries.
Viewers at a Ramlila performance going on nearby told police they saw the two men on a motorcycle abduct the minor.
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Police have launched a manhunt for the accused, who are yet to be identified.
In the other case, police in east Delhi have arrested three men allegedly involved in the gang rape of the five-year-old and booked them under various charges dealing with gang rape, kidnapping and provisions of POCSO Act.
The three, identified as Prakash, Revati and Sitaram, were presented on Saturday before a local court, which sent them to 14 days judicial custody.
According to the police, the five-year-old was alone at her house when one of the accused who is a neighbour took her away, and raped her with his two friends.
The girl, who was found bleeding, was admitted to Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital where she is undergoing treatment.
After visiting the victims with Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, Kejriwal said the PM and Jung should hold a meeting over the issue.
"If the PM wants to have Delhi Police under his control, he has to be answerable. I request the PM to take some time out and meet the LG and find out ways to deal with crime against women and children in Delhi."
"PM sir, give control of Delhi Police to Delhi government for one year. If situation does not improve, take it back," he later tweeted.
Targeting Modi and Jung for failing to provide adequate safety and security in the city, he said police was not under democratic control.
Answering a question about cooperating with the LG, Kejriwal told reporters: "We want to cooperate. Please ask LG whether he is willing to cooperate or not."
"LG and police have only one agenda. That is interfering with our (Delhi government) works. Instead of arresting our MLAs and interfering in the elected government's works, they should pay more attention to the security of women and children in Delhi," he added.
Former chief minister Sheila Dikshit said it was "wrong to blame the prime minister" who is not concerned with the administration of Delhi, but suggested policing in the city should be split into security and general law and order and the city government should be put in charge of the latter.
"It is wrong to blame the prime minister. Police must be divided, one to look after VVIPs and diplomats, and other for law and order," Dikshit, who served three consecutive terms, told the media.
Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal strongly condemned the incident and visited the Sanjay Gandhi hospital and GTB hospital to meet the victims.
"Recurrence of such incidents is extremely saddening. All the agencies concerned should sit together and ponder over a solution to such incidents," Maliwal told IANS.