MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
(SHRI HARIBHAI PARATHIBHAI CHAUDHARY)
(a) to (c): A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted in the Crime Branch of Delhi Police to investigate the incident of fire in Church in East Delhi expeditiously. The SIT has not submitted its report.
(d): Suitable instructions were given to Delhi Police to ensure enhanced deployment of forces around religious places, intensive patrolling in vulnerable areas, installation of CCTV cameras etc. Delhi Police has also been asked to take all possible steps in the right earnest to ensure that the culprits in these cases are apprehended quickly. Following steps have been taken by the Government to book the culprits and ensure the safety of religious institutions/Churches in the capital :-
(a) All the Churches and Minorities run (Christian Schools) have been identified and assessed for their security arrangements.
(b) These Churches have been depicted/ plotted on a map for a holistic view.
(c) All the concerned officers specially DCsP and SHOs concerned have been directed to take care of security of these installations/places.
(d) PCR Vans, ERVs and motorcycles patrol have been deployed around the Churches/ Missionaries Schools for enhanced security. At all vulnerable locations, static deployment is made during night hours.
(e) There are 240 Churches and 91 Christian run schools in Delhi. The DCP and police station staff have also been directed to make surprise visit to the Churches/Christian Missionaries Schools.
(f) The directors and management of these institutions have been requested to install CCTV cameras and deploy guards for the safety and security of these places. At present, 161 Churches and 69 Schools have installed CCTV Cameras. 54 Churches and 15 Schools have got installed CCTV cameras on the insistence of Police.
(g) Contact numbers of Coordinators of religious places and schools have been exchanged with concerned police station staff.
(h) All field officers have been directed to keep a Visitors’ Register in each Church and Christian Missionaries Schools for making necessary entries by patrolling staff, in order to ensure proper patrolling.
(i) Local sources have been motivated to provide inputs for any such mischief well in advance.
(j) A new Facebook page “Minority Brethren” has been created by Delhi Police for posting problems related to any institution or school etc.
(k) DCP Sh. Joy Tirkey has been nominated as nodal officer for the redressal of the problems of minority community.
(l) The steps so taken for the security and safety of the Churches and minority run insti- tutions have been given wide publicity through media with an aim to reach the masses. ‘Public order’ and ‘Police’ are State subjects as per the provisions of the Constitution of India. The responsibilities of maintaining law and order, registration and prosecution of crimes including attacks on religious institutions in the States rest primarily with the respective State Governments. State Governments are competent to deal with religion related offences under the extant provisions of laws. However, Central Government has issued the Communal Harmony Guidelines in 2008, which inter- alia laid down standing operating procedures to be put in place to deal with the situations arising out of communal violence. These guidelines are reiterated while sending advisories.
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