The tension between the AAP government and Delhi Police grew on Monday over the grisly murder of 19-year-old girl in a market place, as a meeting between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and police chief B.S. Bassi failed to yield any result.
In an hour-and-half long meeting, Kejriwal asked Bassi to provide details of the number of crimes against women and said the police force was not working up to the mark.
Bassi, however, told him that Delhi Police were "accountable to rule of law and will not work under pressure".
The stabbing of a 19-year-old girl for objecting to stalking brought the Aam Aadmi Party government and Delhi Police against each other. The government has accused the police force of being callous.
"We asked Bassi to give us details on the number of FIRs registered on the basis of complaints by women, and FIRs not registered by police," Delhi Home Minister Satyendra Jain told the media later.
"When we told him to give this list to the prime minister, Bassi said the prime minister did not have time for all this and he was too much preoccupied in other matters."
"He (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) has no time for Delhi Police," Jain quoted the police commissioner as saying.
Jain insisted that Kejriwal had the right to ask these questions to Bassi "as we are people's representatives".
After the meeting, Bassi said "it was not legitimate to expect much" from Delhi Police which report to the union home ministry.
Bassi also said Delhi Police do not work under anyone's pressure and were an "independent machinery".
"I worked under both the governments (UPA and NDA), and none of them pressurised me for doing anything. Delhi Police work as independent machinery," said Bassi.
He said he informed the chief minister that no union minister asked him anything when AAP legislators were arrested by Delhi Police.
Speaking on the stabbing of the teenaged girl in the Anand Parbat market place, Bassi said the investigation was taken up in right earnest.
"Question of not being sensitive to this matter doesn't arise. Immediately strenuous efforts were made, culprits were arrested. Our investigation is still on," he added.
Before meeting the chief minister, Bassi in the morning met Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung and discussed ways to improve the law and order situation in the capital.
After meeting Jung, Bassi said police were accountable to the system and not to any individual.
