Delhi Minister Met LG: “Steps to be taken to remove mistrust” between Officers & elected govt. “ Says LG
NEW DELHI : The Delhi Cabinet of Ministers called on Lieutenant Governor (LG) Anil Baijal on Friday hours after the police ”raided” Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s official residence in connection with the investigation related to the alleged attack on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash earlier this week.
Mr. Kejriwal and all his Cabinet colleagues, Raj Niwas said, met Mr. Baijal at 5 p.m. with both the alleged manhandling of Mr. Prakash at the Chief Minister’s residence and that of Environment Minister Imran Hussain at the Delhi Secretariat on the agenda.
LG Anil Baijal terms incidents unfortunate
“The LG strongly condemned the incidents and termed them most unfortunate. He noted that no government can fulfill its promises to people if employees feel demoralised and insecure. There is no place for violence in a democratic and civilised society,” the Raj Niwas said in a statement.
Mr. Baijal, according to the Raj Niwas, further observed that “steps needed to be taken to remove mistrust” between the government employees and the elected government “so that development of Delhi and public interest do not get adversely affected.”
‘CM, LG will talk to officers’
At a press conference shortly afterwards, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said both the Chief Minister and the LG “would talk to officers.”“Officers not attending meetings for last 3 days. Governance suffering. LG assured he will take all steps to ensure officers started functioning normally.
When asked whether Mr. Kejriwal would apologise, as per the demands of government employees, including IAS, DANICS and DASS cadre officials currently engaged in a “peaceful protest” against the political executive, Mr. Sisodia said “the incident of day is being narrated incorrectly” in relation to the sequence of events leading to the alleged assault on Mr. Prakash by AAP MLAs in the presence of the Chief Minister.
On the other hand, Kejriwal tweeted after meeting the LG, “Officers not attending meetings for last three days. Governance suffering. LG assured he will take all steps to ensure officers started functioning normally. Council of ministers assured him all cooperation. All of us need to work together for the betterment of Delhi.”
Meanwhile, a Delhi Police team on Thursday descended on Kejriwal’s residence and seized a hard disk of the CCTV camera system installed there in connection with an alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by AAP MLAs. Police claimed that its action came after its request for CCTV footage from the CM’s residence was not met.
Several policemen on Thursday went to Kejriwal’s official residence in the Civil Lines area where Prakash was allegedly assaulted in the presence of the CM on the intervening night of February 19-20.
A total of 21 CCTV cameras and a hard disk were examined by the police. The hard disk has been seized and any possibility of “tampering” with the system could be ascertained only through forensic examination, said Additional DCP (North) Harendra Singh.
On the other hand, a Delhi court on Thursday dismissed the bail pleas of two AAP MLAs, Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal, arrested for allegedly assaulting Prakash. Metropolitan Magistrate Shefali Barnala Tondon, however, refused to grant the police their custody saying there was no new ground for custodial interrogation.
The court had on Thursday sent the MLAs to 14-day judicial custody.
The two MLAs were arrested in connection with the alleged assault on Delhi’s top bureaucrat during a meeting at Kejriwal’s residence. Meanwhile, a delegation of IAS officers working under the Delhi government met DoPT Mnister Jitendra Singh on Friday and put forward their grievances following the alleged attack on Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash.
“We have heard the members of the delegation. We took cognisance of all the grievances and concerns raised by them and necessary steps would be taken on it,” Singh told reporters after the meeting.
Delhi IAS officers association secretary Manisha Saxena said the minister has assured full cooperation. “He said he is overseeing the developments, and action, as per the law, will be taken.
A delegation of IAS officers working under the Delhi government met Union minister Jitendra Singh on Friday and put forward their grievances following the alleged attack on Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash.
“We have heard the members of the delegation. We took cognisance of all the grievances and concerns raised by them and necessary steps would be taken on it,” Singh told reporters after the meeting.
Delhi IAS officers association secretary Manisha Saxena said the minister has assured full cooperation. “He said he is overseeing the developments, and action, as per the law, will be taken. (With Agency Inputs ).
