Delhi man shot dead in front of son: AAP slams BJP over rising crime

New Delhi: The ruling AAP on Friday questioned the Bhartiya Janta Party’s handling of law and order, accusing the central government's inaction as a contributing factor following a double murder in East Delhi's Shahdara. 

The incident took place around 8 pm on October 31 in Shahdara’s Farsh Bazar area, where Akash Sharma (40), alias Chottu, and his 16-year-old nephew, Rishabh Sharma, were shot dead outside their residence.

Krish Sharma, aged 10, suffered injuries during the incident. According to the police, the victims were celebrating Diwali when they were attacked.

In a press conference, senior AAP leader and Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj expressed concerns, alleging the worsening law and order situation in Delhi. 

"Due to the collapsed law and order situation in the city, two people celebrating Diwali were murdered in public last night. If the BJP had put efforts into improving the law and order situation, then murders, gang wars, and looting would not be taking place every day," Bharadwaj said. 

No immediate response was available from the saffron party over the allegations.

The minister also raised questions over the presence of gangs allegedly operating from jails in BJP-led states, noting an increase in incidents of snatching and theft that have left citizens fearful. 

"The kinds of gang-led crimes we hear in Delhi these days used to happen in Mumbai when underworld gangs were active there," he said. "The BJP has to answer how the situation got so severe in the national capital. This could not have happened without the nod of the central government."

He added that cases of snatching have also exceeded all limits, with women now avoiding carrying phones and wearing gold ornaments in public. 

Bharadwaj further said that even the French Ambassador fell victim to pickpocketing in the national capital of the country, underscoring concerns despite the installation of CCTV cameras across Delhi.

According to the police, French Ambassador Thierry Mathou and his wife had gone to visit the Chandni Chowk market for shopping in the afternoon of October 20, when his mobile phone was stolen from his pocket. Two persons have already been arrested by the Delhi Police for allegedly stealing the mobile phone.