by FP Staff 5 mins ago
New Delhi: A day after an irod rod was shoved down the throat of a student while a man tried to rape her, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said, “Women don’t feel safe in Delhi.”
“Fears have risen. I’m shocked to learn about the Lajpat Nagar attempted rape case. It’s a big setback for us,” she said referring to the rape bid on a 19-year-old woman Tuesday.
The Class 9 student fought off the rape bid in her own house by an electricity contractor, who thrust an iron rod into her throat to quell her cries for help. The accused has been arrested.
Sheila Dikshit. PTI
However, the chief minister promised to do everything possible to provide safety to women.
“My government will do everything possible to provide a conducive atmosphere for the women in the city,” Dikshit said.
This is not the first time that Sheila Dikshit has admitted to security lapses in Delhi. In December 2012, after a 23-year-old was brutally gangraped inside a moving bus in the capital, the Delhi Chief Minister had said the city was unsafe.
Reacting to the Delhi Chief Minister’s statement, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Smriti Irani said, “I think this is an admission of bad governance.” Irani said she was outraged to see the Chief Minister passing the buck to the Central government. She said the Congress as a whole was failing to secure the citizens of the country.
Calling the Chief Minister’s statement ‘irresponsible’, Smriti Irani said it was the Chief Minister’s duty to ensure an administration that protects the city. Referring to Sheila Dikshit’s television interviews of December 2012, in which she broke down while speaking on the Delhi gangrape, Irani said, “Shedding tears in public and fulfilling your responsibilities are two different things.”
Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Brinda Karat criticised Dikshit. “It is clear that women in Delhi are insecure. The chief minister is speaking the truth. But it is surely not enough. What is her responsibility as chief minister?
“Women’s security issues have become political football between central and state government. Chief minister blames Delhi Police; central government defends police. It’s a shame.”
http://www.firstpost.com/india/sheila-dikshit-admits-delhi-not-safe-for-women-bjp-demands-resignation-616025.html