Delhi Police washes hands of child's death in slum demolition

Following a child's death in Shakur Basti, the Delhi Police on Monday washed its hands of the incident, claiming it took place about two hours before the demolition of hutments in the area took place.

"The demolition exercise started at around 11.45-12.00 p.m. So both the incidents are totally different. There is time gap of 2-2:30 hours. After continuous request from the Railway authorities and with due assessment, this exercise was done. The job of the police is just protection, the land owning agency demolishes. So, taking out a meaning in this is bereft of truth," Joint Commissioner of Police Deependra Pathak told ANI.

"We have started investigation of the death of the child based on negligent act of 304 (A) of the IPC. On the day of demolition, the family of the kid assembled their heap of clothes, while the kid was sleeping on the floor. They go to another part of the slum to assemble other things. When they return back, they found that the heap of clothes was lying on the kid," he said.

"The kid was gasping for breath. They rushed to the hospital where the doctor declared the infant to be dead. Then they came to the slum at around 10:45 p.m where a briefing exercise of the demolition process was going on. They then take the child to the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital where the doctor declared the child to be dead," he added.

The Delhi Police have, meanwhile, lodged a case and are investigating the matter.

"The post-mortem report has also come which states its death due to shock on chest and face," he added.

Meanwhile, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi visited the razed Shakur Basti where the Indian Railways had conducted a demolition drive, uprooting around 500 jhuggis and promised the homeless slum dwellers that they would be provided aid at the earliest.

While speaking to the slum dwellers, Rahul promised them that he would extend every help possible to alleviate them of their problems.

"Call me if they try to break your homes again and I promise I won't let it happen. I will help you in every way possible. You know we are not in power, its Modi ji and Kejriwal ji who are at power. You're fight is our fight," Rahul told a slum dweller.

Speaking to the media later, he accused the Delhi government and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Centre for the razing of the slum and asserted that the law had been clearly broken during the demolition.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hit out at Rahul for questioning the Aam Aadmi Party's protest against the demolition, saying that he was still a 'child' in politics.

"Rahul Gandhi is still a child. I don't think his party has told him that that Indian Railways comes the Centre and not the Delhi Government," Kejriwal tweeted.

Rahul had demanded to know the reason behind AAP's 'dharna' since they were the ruling power in Delhi.

Earlier today, the AAP joined by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) protested outside the Parliament against the slum demolition.