Admitting that the protests after the gangrape incident were a “wake up” call, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has taken on the Delhi Police for lack of faith the people have in it due to its “insensitive” approach.
She also suggested that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s address to the nation on the December 16 incident could have come a little earlier instead of a week after the “horrendous” crime.
Dikshit acknowledged that people “shy away” from helping others who are in distress because they feel that they will be “harassed” by the police, and asked the force to change its attitude and style of functioning. She felt that the force personnel should behave as “gentleman” police at the need of hour.
“It worries me. Yes. It worries me that police force is not as sensitive or responsive as it ought to be or well behaved as it ought to be... The systems need to be changed and judicial system needs to be changed and bureaucratic system needs to be changed but it has to be thought out. But please remember it is not going to happen tomorrow,” she told Karan Thapar on Devil’s Advocate programme on CNN-IBN.
“Fault lies with police. I don’t know. I have not minced my words (in saying) where the failure of this has come (from). In fact, I have not overtly but covertly criticised this. It is not my job to appoint a Police Commissioner or take him away. It is the job of the Home Ministry and I am sure they will do something,” she said in reply to a question on who was at fault for the incident.
Ms. Dikshit said such mass protests were a challenge to politicians, bureaucracy, judiciary, police and to everybody, while “fully sympathising” with the anger and anguish of the people.
Calling the gangrape of the paramedical student as “horrendous”, she said the Supreme Court’s observation that women in Delhi are not safe was “telling” and says it all.
The Chief Minister rejected suggestions that the government did not act swiftly to control the situation, saying it had moved fast in setting up fast-track courts and appointing the Justice J.S. Verma Committee.
In this context, Ms. Dikshit said the Prime Minister addressed the nation, while Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi met the protesters.
She also noted that Mr. Singh and Ms. Gandhi received the body of the girl, who died in a Singapore hospital on December 29, at the Delhi airport.
To a question on whether Mr. Singh’s address came late, she said, “Maybe it was one week too late. He should have perhaps done it earlier.”
”...It (the government) moved...to get some other things like we got this 181 line or whatever it may be a small effort, that rang the bell for everyone to wake up,” she said.
Ms. Dikshit also asked why only politicians were being targeted and why not any other organisations, in an apparent reference to the Delhi Police.
“Why are you putting it all on the politicians? Why not on many other things... The society, the way we are bringing up children, the way we are teaching children and the way our schools are running. Why is it only the politicians?” she asked.
Pitching for a change in the system, she said the police needs to have more faith in the people and if they have faith as a police force in the people, people will have faith in it.
Asked whether she addressed the issues with Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar, she said she had met them and explained the issues and had even written letters to them.
Asked whether the Home Minister and the police understand the issues, she said: “Yes Yes. I hope they do. My understanding is amongst all these people, whether it is the Home Minister or the Police Commissioner or Lt. Governor or Secretary, Home.
“They are not the people who are in touch daily with the people I am because I happen to be the Chief Minister.”
Ms. Dikshit also said during her meeting with the Prime Minister, she told him that there should be an immediate change in the mode of police training if one wants to bring the confidence back into the policing system.
The Chief Minister also felt a lot of the VVIP security has to be removed, saying, “I can tell you about myself, I don’t need that kind of security. Why?”
Asked whether she broached the topic with Shinde, she replied in the affirmative and quoted him as saying that there will be a review of VVIP security so that it can go to the people.
On the apex court’s observation about safety of women in Delhi, she said, “Now you see the judiciary and no less than the Supreme Court had to come out with this comment. This comment is telling, I mean it says it all.
“Something I may not be able to say or somebody else may be saying and the Supreme Court is saying. This is about the third or fourth time that they have said something like this.”
The Chief Minister said no one has any “magic wand” to bring back safety and that it will take time. She also said the family values where the boy is treated as a “king and the girl as a curse” needs to be changed first.
Ms. Dikshit also said her government would launch an awareness campaign called ‘Aawaz uthao, chintan karo’ (Raise your voice and introspect).
Keywords: Sheila Dikshit, gangrape, Devil’s Advocate programme, Delhi gang-rape case, false information, Delhi Transport Department, protest rally
Funny, it is her police force she is talking about! Either she should resign for ineptness as CM or she should take action against all those senior police officers who had proved to be not worthy of their positions. Declaring in public what the public already knows will not exonerate her from her dereliction or of her weakness in her own duty, while in office. As the Chief Minister, she is vested with executive power to remove all the dead wood from any department of buerocracy. She also has the power to enact any required changes in the manner of policing and public policy,as well as, in the area of public safety and make it happen, if she has the conviction and sense of priority. Talk is cheap acting is what is missing here! The utterances are just a self admission of her own failure and an attempt get public sympathy for her and she only shot herself on her own foot by trying for it!
Bureaucracy is perhaps the most important invention in human history. Its members are supposed to work together, according to the roles assigned to them, for the achievement of their collective goals. Those at the top of bureaucratic organizations reward them, measure, in return for the efforts put in by the individuals. Goal displacement involves neglect of collective priorities with a view to maximizing the individual benefits. The bureaucratic apparatus does not remain functional if its members are interested only in maximizing their own income, status and power (formal and informal). The political leaders, and statesmen, are supposed to develop the available human resources in a well and proper manner.
The police have become everybody's favourite whipping boy!They are like
the proverbial dog in the manger!What abt the inhuman conditions under
which they operate.
It was Sheila Dikshit to proclaim her Chintan and to raise her voice. It was convenient for her and the dormant politicians like the PM and the Home Minister and almost everybody else to wait for the Prince of a brutish rape to kiss and wake them up. The quality of governance prevailing in Delhi and in the country as a whole is measured by its being a moral emptiness. The level of the widespread degeneration can be measured by the silence and quiescence of the public at large and by the cheapening of the individual vote for electoral needs. IT DEFIES UNDERSTANDING.
All the above comments are missing the most important point: the major reason for this is the horrendous corruption with UPA, especially Congress. With their total focus on looting the country and trying to avoid the law, nothing worthwhile gets done. Problems like rape are used to distract people from real problems. Country is going to the dogs and these politicians will head for Swiss Alps. Root out this virus and the country will once again start steady progress and become healthy and strong.
It is easy to blame others but Ms. CM has to look at her own conducts. There are
few unpleasant questions which could be asked to you. Nirbhaya and her friend
were not able to get an Auto from Saket to Dwarka. Who is responsible for it? Is it
not Delhi Transport Department? These illegal Buses are used by commuters
because there are not enough buses. Why DTC did not have enough buses on all
routes? Who is responsible? It is said that CM herself did not allow DTC to buy
enough buses as she wanted that these illegal buses should continue and orange
buses which are owned by few of her near and dears should be used for the most
lucrative routes. Who is responsible for it? Ms. CM, if you would have been really
sincere, you would have been able to get several things rights, which would have
prevented this kind of unfortunate incident. Do not blame others. You are also part
of the problem and people are aware about it.
Madam, POINTING IT to OTHERS IS NOT FARE .firstly look into yourself how true you are? whether you have justified to your position rather then blaming others. Such incidents where on high scale in the capital before this 16th December. then, why its been highlighted now ? why not earlier?
Ms.Dixit is the same Delhi CM who said that girls should not be adventurous when Soumya Vishwanathan was murdered over four years ago. Why didn't she and the police 'wake up' then?
Let us see the players of the blame game... Ms. Dikshit is from Congress party and she is the CM of Delhi, Delhi police is controlled by home ministry of the central govt and the home minister is Mr. Shinde who is also from Congress party, PM is from Congress party and Ms. Sonia Gandhi is the Congress president and leader of the party. She lives in Delhi too. I wonder what does Ms. Gandhi has to say about the blame game and who bears the responsibility for the abysmal state of women's safety in Delhi which has the highest incidents of rape among major Indian cities! Women have been sexually assaulted long before Dec 16the incident happened and no major or sustained initiative has been taken by the police or the Delhi govt or home ministry to remedy the situation. So who bears the responsibility!
Mrs. Dixit, and all politicians and police.
Your statement that this incident is a WAKE-UP call sums up your inadequacy as a leader. You have been part of Delhi for more years than I have been alive, and the same can be said of the social crisis in that city. And yet, you are only now hearing the WAKE-UP call??? Which leader, with any conscience sleeps through the pain and problems of their people, only to wake up when the fire is lit under their seat???
All of you, politicians (and I use that word as a slur) and police, have blood on your hands, not just of Nirbhaya, but of the hopes and aspirations of a generation of youth, of morality, spirituality and justice. You have shamed us in front of the entire world by your lack of leadership, and even more so by your lack of compassion for the suffering of others, your lack of humanity.
Be Ashamed, very ashamed, and listen to your conscience, if you still have one. AAVAAZ SUNO ,CHINTAN KARO.
It is not just the Police of Delhi, it is the whole Police services of India that is incompetent, corrupt and not worth the uniform they wear. As enforcers of law they are not in par with their western counterparts who enforce the rule of law dispassionatley 99% of the time; of course you will find the odd corrupt ones even in the west but it would be the exception. The legal system of the country is another big joke and if India is serious of becoming a permamnent member of the UNSC or to be counted as a truly democratic nation then it must overhaul the whole system of Law enforcement, including the police and the courts. Until this is achieved, India would be regarded as a populous coutry which has a system of political franchise that is incapable of having an effective and efficient
legal system to provide basic security to its citzenry.
If she is genuinely worried, why does she not raise her voice on police
reforms in consultation with the experts? After all, it is Congress-led
Govt at the Centre.
Shiela Dixit as well as the Police Commissioner should resign immediately. They are a disgrace to the Nation. The pious platitudes by the Chief Minister is an insult to the intelligence of the people of Delhi.
There is some truth to her comments. What has Neeraj Kumar, Delhi Police Commissioner done over the past years to reduced rapes in Delhi? This is not an isolated incident but typical of the situation in Delhi over the past decade.
Did he actively try to tackle the problem with the resources available to him ? Did he actively try to get resources from the government to tackle the issue? Does he even have targets to be met on a yearly basis ? No !!
He needs to be held responsible for his utter failure to tackle the crime in Delhi. His example will lead to better policing in other cities. Police Commissioners are a powerful bunch who think they can sleepwalk through their jobs to retirement.
Fire Neeraj Kumar and set an example to the rest of IPS.
This is nothing but just rhetoric, Ms. Dikshit is carefully shifting the blame from her part (though it is equally over Police, politicians, and a greater part on society) to cast her image as she had nothing to do to make Delhi safe and it was society and police only who was at fault, may i ask what great has she done to make society ( Delhi only) a better place to live, according to me Delhi is, day by day, becoming a place better for crimial-politicians, politicians, vote-beggers, selfish individuals, just to mention these few only, i call into question the person who said "dilli dil walon ki" (in English : Delhi for those who have heart), my heart blleds to see the way society is heading towards (i am not against modernism and western culture) but i am very much against the declining moral quotient and rotting moral values, here i consider society at fault and Ms. Dikshit being the chief of delhi administration, she cannot shed off her responsibilities
there is a dire need of change in the system, change is required from
all the sides especially from attitude of public, police, education, way
of childrens growing & etc. She is blaming police and others for this,
how long blame game will happen. unless change happens among the system
no law will works out for this.We the public are prime responsible for
this type of incident. According to me, we are running behind the
useless culture by leaving our culture, values, moral etc. everybody
should realize this.
This is a astute politician. She and her cronies have maintained the
non independence of police since independence. In no developed state
are the police subject to direct control by the politicians except
India. Now, they blame everyone else
for a situation they have created for their own benefit. All the
lackadaisical attitude and indifference is due to the corruption and
ruling attitude perpetuated by the politicos. Drastic changes are
required to the Policing act in India to make sure it provides
governance and not Ruling! only then things can and will change..
otherwise it will be status quo!! Jai hind
Its shameful that, instead of accepting the responsibility for what happened, started blaming
others. Its a failure from the TOP!
Delhi police is controlled by Union Govt. Sheila is trying to say the UPA govt has become 'insensitive' to the problems of common people.
Madam CM,
You are not right in questioning why only politicians are being blamed and why not other organizations.
Well Madam CM, you have been in politics for too long to know who controls what and it the politicians who are setting standards for every thing (unfortunately of negstive type) and others follow them. And if some does try to raise a flag against it then you know what happens.
The charity begins at home. So if you want to see change in society then start with your self (read party and politics).
I am sure this post will never reach you.
“It worries me. Yes. It worries me that police force is not as sensitive or responsive as it ought to be or well behaved as it ought to be... The systems need to be changed and judicial system needs to be changed and bureaucratic system needs to be changed. Yes, the CM now has reflected the minds of every citizen there.
Now the CM speaks after everything is a thing of the past.
What does the administration achieve by criticizing another wing of the
administration itself?Why is she reinforcing the belief that the police are unreliable?
This behavior from the chief administrator of our state is despicable.
I am not going to vote for her the next time. She being a woman could
not make this city safe.
she has carefully put the blame on society and that we should change our
attitude towards girls. Agreed it is a fact but by saying all those she
is rebranding her sins . Had the attitude towards girl child was
different, this rape would have still occurred. We want stricter laws
madam . Any amount of punishment cannot negate/undo a crime.Instead of
courts giving them stricter punishment and appeasing victims it is the
other way round happening. We are begging for strict laws and justice.
Funny system we are living in.
Now this has started. I was waiting for this blame-game to be
started. Had the Delhi Police been under her control, she would have
saying something else. Now she is showing a great concern towards the
safety of women in Delhi. But were the women safer in Delhi before dec
16th incident? Where was this concern at that time? And if it is a wake-
up call, can we say that Govt was sleeping before it?
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