By Vincent Van Ross

No fewer than 12 people have been shot dead on Delhi’s streets in the first fortnight of this month. Not all of them were victims of gang wars, family fueds or crime. At least, two of those shot were at the receiving end of misfiring.

The month opened with two people being shot at Nand Nagari on July 1. One school teacher was shot at Aman Vihar on July 5 and two brothers were shot at Ballimaran on July 8. The same day a 54-year old man was shot at Vikas Marg. Three men were killed in a gang war on July 9. On July 11 two men fired at a person near a traffic signal. The bullet missed him and hit the security officer of a five-star hotel. The same day two men shot two others near Lajpat Nagar while trying to snatch their motorbike. The miscreants missed them but the bullet killed another man waiting with his wife and two children on his motorbike for the signal to turn green. In the last incident on July 12, two shopkeepers were shot at Ambedkar Nagar.

Twelve people shot dead on capital roads in a fortnight? Two of them, victims of misfiring? How safe are we in Delhi? Is the national capital fast turning into the crime capital of the nation as well?

How come there is a spurt in shooting incidents in Delhi? Where are the guns coming from? Does that mean there is a well oiled gun running racket active in Delhi? Or, are the guns being brought from outside? Why aren’t the police gunning for the gun runners?

In an interview to Hindustan Times, the former police commissioner of Delhi, Ajai Raj Sharma, is quoted as saying: “It is a lack of fear of the police…Police are not keeping an eye on the activities of criminals…”

If the former police commissioner really meant that, then it is an interesting statement. One wonders why the criminals do not fear the police anymore. Also, if the police are not keeping an eye on the activities of criminals, what else are they busy with?