Shinde, Sheila engage in 'mock' fight over Delhi cops

, March 12: Three days after Delhi Chief Minister

blamed the Delhi Police for an unsafe national capital, Union home minister

passed the buck back on the CM saying the latter never sought cooperation on the matter in the way she wants.

When asked about Dikshit's frequent regret that the Delhi government could do little to improve the situation in Delhi as the Delhi Police was not under its control, the home minister said he was ready to give whatever the Delhi government needed.

He said Dikshit is a serious leader but her government is yet to formally request to put the Delhi Police under the state government's control. The Delhi Police is currently under controlled by the home ministry.

New Delhi has been in the headlines for its unsafe streets for women and particularly the December 16 gangrape brought the focus of the entire nation on its police system. The alleged suicide by Ram Singh, the prime accused in the rape case, in Tihar jail on Monday morning also raised serious concern over the security arrangements in the jail, putting both the home ministry and Delhi government in discomfort.

The central prison of Tihar where Singh allegedly hanged himself is under the administrative control of the Delhi government while both its top officials, the DG prisons and IG prisons, are UT cadre IPS officers appointed by the home ministry. They are answerable to the Delhi CM.

The overlapping nature of the security system often sees the Delhi government and home ministry exchanging charges but senior officials view the dispute over controlling the Delhi Police as a fae one for both sides know that the reins will ultimately remain with the Centre.

A senior official said Dikshit sparks off the debate whenever she is cornered by the public outcry for she is answerable to the people of her state. He said the CM has to put the blame on Delhi Police and point at her inability to control it. The official also supported Shinde's claim that Dikshit never sought the control of the Delhi Police for she rightly knows that it is not feasible.

Given Delhi's high-sensitivity in terms of security, political parties and bureaucrats do not favour handing over the administrative control of the Delhi cops to the state government.

OneIndia News