Delhi violence: MP alleges police inaction over helping trapped people

Naresh Gujral on Thursday shot off a letter to Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik narrating the incident

Senior Akali Dal MP Naresh Gujral claimed that he made a call to Delhi Police late Wednesday night informing that 16 Muslims were trapped inside a house in North East Delhi where rioters were trying to enter it but the lawmaker says police did not bother.

Gujral on Thursday shot off a letter to Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik narrating the incident and informed him that the trapped people were fortunate enough to escape, thanks to "some Hindu neighbours".

"If this is the situation when a Member of the Parliament makes a complaint personally, it is not surprising that certain parts of Delhi continue to burn while the police stands by apathetically," Gujral, son of former Prime Minister late I K Gujral, said in his scathing letter.

"Minorities in certain parts of the city are frightened because their lives and properties have not been protected by Delhi Police, which is very similar to what we saw in 1984. It's shocking," he said.

He said he received a call around 11:30 pm from an acquaintance who said he and 15 other Muslims were trapped inside a house near Gonda Chowk in Maujpur, where large-scale communal violence was witnessed in the past couple of days, and a mob was trying to enter the building.

Gujral immediately made a call to '100', the Police Control Room, identifying himself as an MP and informed them about the situation and provided them the telephone number of the person who called him. At 11:43 pm, he received a confirmation from the police that his complaint (number 946603) had been received.

"However, much to my disappointment, no action was taken on my complaint and those 16 individuals received no assistance what-so-ever from the Delhi Police. They fortunately managed to escape only because some Hindu neighbours came to their rescue," he said.

Gujral urged Patnaik to look into the matter so that serious complaints receive the urgent attention they deserve and the situation in the capital is brought under control expeditiously.

At violence-hit areas, people had complained that police did not intervene on time or looked the other way when rioters ran amok in several parts of the capital. In several places, police was accused of walking with the rioters and did not make any efforts to contain the mob.