Delhi top cop faces tough questions in Parl panel meet

Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik on Monday faced questions from MPs of a Parliamentary Standing Committee on the way his force handled the students' protests as well as the frequent imposition of prohibitory orders in the national capital.

Patnaik appeared before the Standing Committee on Home Affairs headed by senior Congress MP Anand Sharma when a section of MPs told him that police should have dealt with students in a mature and sophisticated manner.

The Commissioner and senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) appeared before the panel to brief the MPs about the "rising crimes in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR)". DGP Haryana Manoj Yadav and senior officials of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan police also briefed the panel as some parts of these states also are part of the NCR.

The MPs did not specifically mention the recent incidents of violence at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Jamia Millia Islamia but told the police officials that there was a problem with their handling of the issue.

Patnaik and other Delhi Police officials were told by the MPs that they should have exhausted all options before taking action against students. One of the MPs asked why students were not engaged in discussions to defuse potential trouble, sources said.

One of the points raised by the MPs was that prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC was imposed frequently to prevent protests and this action by police is creating inconvenience for the public.

The MPs also expressed their unhappiness over the use of force on students.

Delhi Police has faced flak for entering Jamia Millia Islamia on December 15 without university authorities' permission and even lobbing teargas shells and baton charging students inside the library. It also faced allegations that it remained a mute spectator in Jawaharlal Nehru University where "masked goons" ran riot in the campus targeting students and teachers on January 5.

On the crime scene, Delhi Police said 3.01 lakh cases were registered in 2019 compared to 2.50 lakh cases in 2018. It said motor vehicle theft has risen 6% in 2017 and 13.33% in 2018.