Delhi Police to complain to LG about 'interfering ministers'

Delhi Police plans to write to Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung complaining about the "interfering" behaviour of two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ministers in police investigation, an official said Thursday.

"We will write to the Lt. Governor about ministers Somnath Bharti and Rakhi Birla who are continuously interfering in police investigation," a senior police officer, who did not wish to be named, told IANS.

Late Wednesday, Law Minister Somnath Bharti had a heated tiff with Delhi Police officials when he on his own initiative raided a house in south Delhi on suspicion that a narcotics and sex den was being run by some foreign nationals from the premises.

Bharti made a call to police from outside the house around midnight.

Police after arriving at the spot refused to search the house stating that they did not have a search warrant.

Bharti argued with the police officials demanding that they raid the house. He later left the spot complaining that police did not heed the minister's bidding.

Bharti made a faux pas Wednesday when he issued a press release naming the Danish woman who was gang-raped in Delhi, which is against the law.

He soon issued another press release without the name. But he attracted flak for revealing the woman's name.

The other minister against whom Delhi Police wants to complain is Women and Child Development Minister Rakhi Birla.

Birla had gone to Safdarjung Hospital Wednesday night to meet a 24-year-old woman who was allegedly set on fire by her in-laws.

Birla alleged that when she went to meet the station house officer of Sagarpur police station in west Delhi, to find out details of the case, the officer was missing.

Birla said she had spoken on phone with the officer from Safdarjung Hospital and told him she was coming to meet him. However, when she reached the police station, the officer had left as his duty hours were over.

The inspector who had come as duty replacement declined to go with her to the burnt woman's house in the area.

On Thursday evening, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a press conference with Bharti and Birla sitting alongside him. He demanded that action be taken against police officials in both the cases.

The Delhi Police commissioner said he will look into the matter.