New Delhi : In a rare praise, a minister in Delhi’s AAP government on Tuesday praised Delhi Police chief B.S. Bassi for sacking a head constable who hurled a brick at a woman refusing to pay a bribe.
“Immediately after the news surfaced, we demanded that the errant policeman to be sacked,” Delhi’s Home Minister Satyendra Jain told IANS.
“We happy that Bassi dismissed him,” said the 49-year-old minister, who also holds the portfolios of health, industries and Gurudwara elections in the Arvind Kejriwal government.
On Monday evening, Delhi Police dismissed Head Constable Satish Chandra, hours after he hurled a brick at a mother of three who didn’t pay a Rs.200 bribe to him after allegedly jumping a traffic signal.
Despite being hit, the woman, Ramandeep Kaur, prevented the policeman from escaping. The brutality was caught on camera and went viral, shocking the police force and citizens alike.
On Tuesday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met Kaur and praised her courage, saying the city needed more people like her to fight corruption.
Speaking to IANS, Jain also repeated the Aam Aadmi Party’s known criticism of Delhi Police.
“It is very sad to see that Delhi Police has become a law unto itself,” said the architect-turned-activist-turned-politician.
“Instead of serving the people of Delhi, they are assaulting them with bricks. It’s shameful.”
Jain found fault with the system under which Delhi Police reports to the union home ministry instead of an elected government in Delhi.
He reiterated that Delhi Police should be controlled by the Delhi government.