New Delhi: BJP on Friday trained its guns on Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on the issue of two Tihar inmates allegedly committing suicide this week, saying instead of trying to shift blame for lapses she should focus on improving security in the prison that comes under her government.
Raising the issue in the Assembly, Leader of Opposition V K Malhotra held the Delhi Government responsible for "security lapses" inside the prison and asked Dikshit to take steps to ensure proper monitoring of the inmates.
"Tihar functions under the Chief Minister. But the Chief Minister says Tihar is headed by an IPS officer indicating that Delhi Government is not responsible for the incidents. She has a tendency of shifting the blame. If the jail director general is not functioning, then she should be suspended," Malhotra said.
Tihar comes under Delhi Government's Home department which is with Dikshit.
Delhi gang-rape accused Ram Singh was found hanging in his cell on Monday while a 30-year-old woman inmate had allegedly committed suicide in the jail yesterday. The alleged suicide by the woman was the fourth such incident in Tihar in last 15 month.
Criticising Dikshit, Malhotra demanded concrete steps to beef up security for the inmates inside the prison.
"People are asking questions to you why Ram Singh died. Why the woman died. It is the responsibility of the Delhi government to ensure better security inside the prison," Malhotra said, alleging that there have been cases of "drug abuse" inside the prison.
Speaking on the issue, senior BJP MLA Sahab Singh Chouhan asked as to who was responsible for two suicides inside the high-security jail.
"Who is responsible for the suicides.... A woman also committed suicide. Women are not safe in Delhi. They are not even safe inside prison," said Chouhan.
Though agitated BJP members sought a statement from Dikshit, she did not respond.
PTI
First Published: Friday, March 15, 2013, 21:02