New Delhi:
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has welcomed former chief justice of India JS Verma's statement that he found shocking the Union Home Secretary's praise of Delhi Police chief Neeraj Kumar over the Delhi gang-rape probe.
"I am glad, and I had said it earlier that this was no way of responding to such a serious situation by saying that the rapists have been found in eight hours or that three policemen were suspended. How could such a rape take place? We were very disappointed," Mrs Dikshit said.
Days after the gang-rape, Home Secretary RK Singh had praised the police for arresting the six men who allegedly attacked the student. "I was shocked that the Police Commissioner got a pat on the back by the Home Secretary. I was so shocked. The least I would have done was to seek an apology for the failure of my duty to protect citizens," he said yesterday.
The Verma Committee, which submitted its recommendations on changes needed in laws on sexual offences, had lauded the street protests by young men and women against the gang-rape and questioned the use of force by the Delhi Police to deal with them.
"I am happy the Verma Committee has the same observations as what we have been saying. That (use of force) was no way of handling the protests," she said.
The chief minister again demanded that the control of the Delhi Police should rest with the state government and not the Union Home Ministry.
"When an elected government does not have powers over the police, how will it answer the people? I have repeatedly talked about this and the Congress leadership knows about it. Let's see what happens now that Justice Verma has said the same," she said.