NEW DELHI, April 18 -- The fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old boy in northeast Delhi's Seelampur has triggered a war of words between the ruling BJP and opposition AAP on Friday, with both sides blaming each other over the "deteriorating" law and order situation in the city. The boy was stabbed on Thursday in J Block locality of New Seelampur.
Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly and senior AAP leader Atishi accused the BJP-led Central government and Delhi Police of failing to ensure the safety of citizens.
"The murder of a 17-year-old youth in Seelampur is another example of the deteriorating law and order situation in Delhi," Atishi posted on X.
"What is Delhi Police doing? What is Home Minister Amit Shah doing? What is the double engine government doing?" she asked, referring to the BJP governments at the Centre which controls Delhi Police.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the family of the youth will get justice.
"I have talked to the Commissioner of Police. The police is making all efforts and I hope the accused will be arrested soon. It will be ensured that the family of the youth, gets justice," she said.
Countering the opposition charge, BJP MP from North East Delhi, Manoj Tiwari, condemned the killing and said the matter was being taken seriously by law enforcers and assured people that swift action will be taken.
"The murder of a 17-year-old Dalit youth named Kunal in Seelampur is extremely worrying. The anger among the people of the area is quite natural," Tiwari said in a post on X.
"I have been in touch with senior police officers from the district since last night. Most of the criminals have been identified and a thorough investigation is underway," he added.
While assuring the public that the accused will be arrested and given strict punishment, Tiwari also appealed for calm.
"Efforts should be made to ensure that police action is not hindered," he said.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.