New Delhi, March 5 Former Uttar Pradesh DGP Vikram Singh has come out heavily on Ex-Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik for not talking a swift and stern action during Delhi riots on February 24-25.
In an exclusive chat with on Wednesday, he said that lives of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma and Police Head Constable Ratan Lal could have been saved along with others if Patnaik would have taken timely action.
"If the police were serious about maintaining law and order then they would have launched an operation against the rioters before they went on the rampage. They could have lodged 300-400 suspects into jails," said Singh.
He said: "The police were using drones to search stone on the roofs after 45 innocent people lost their lives. If they would have used these drone before the violence then Ankit Sharma and Ratan Lal could have been saved".
Singh is 1974 batch UP cadre IPS officer and was a famous encounter specialist during his on duties days.
In 1976, after completing his police training, Singh was first posted in UP's Mirzapur as Assistant Superintendent of Police. Soon after got posted, he gunned down then notorious dacoit Bakheri, who was carrying a bounty of Rs 2,000 on his head. It was the first "bloody" encounter of Singh.
Angry over police's approach, Singh said: "If the police have detained the suspected and asked them to sign a bond of Rs 50 lakh each then no one like Shahrukh Khan could dare to point a gun at police officials".
Singh openly condemned the police leadership. He said that Delhi Police leadership (Ex-Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik, Joint Police Commissioner Alok Kumar and northeast district DCP Ved Prakash Surya) appeared as "rainbow" on that day. The rainbow appeared after the storm ended.
"The Delhi Police personnel faced an embarrassment during Tis Hazari incident which has stolen their spark. And, the police commissioner's disappearance during the Delhi riots did the rest. Police leadership can not be done by sitting in airconditioned rooms and enjoying pizza and cold drinks," he said.
Singh also questioned that when the National Security Advisor came to inspect the situation then where were Patnaik and LG Anil Baijal?
On the brutal killing of Ankit Sharma, Singh said that if the police have done the same with only two-three rioters then many lives could have been saved.
At least 45 dead and hundreds of others injured during riots, arson and vandalism on February 24-25 following the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest.
(Sanjeev Kumar Singh Chauhan can be reached at sanjeev.c@.in)
( With inputs from IANS )