Delhi Politics Heats Up as AAP Flags Crime, Open Drain Deaths

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday questioned the effectiveness of Delhi's "double-engine" governance model, linking recent incidents of violent crime and drain-related deaths to what it termed gaps in civic oversight.

The criticism comes amid two separate fatalities reported this week. On Tuesday evening, a 30-year-old labourer died after falling into an open drain in Rohini's Sector 32. The deceased, identified as Birju Kumar from Bihar, reportedly slipped into a sewer located on land belonging to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). Police and fire personnel conducted a search operation before confirming his death.

The incident follows the death of a biker in Janakpuri days earlier after he plunged into an uncovered construction pit.

Citing these cases, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal said the current administrative structure must take responsibility for public safety failures and asked how long such incidents would continue without corrective action.

Delhi AAP unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj also alleged that multiple civic bodies, including the DDA, have not ensured adequate monitoring of drains and construction zones. He referred to an earlier East Delhi case in which agencies disputed ownership of a drain after a fatal fall, and argued that responsibility should not be diffused across departments.

Bharadwaj also raised concerns about crime, claiming that six murders were reported in the city within 24 hours, and called for stronger intervention from senior authorities, including Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.