ALERT: I am starting a very important thread on December 16, 2012 #DelhiGangrapeCase, also popularly known as #NirbhayaRapeCase, with several new revelations on 'behind the scenes' events and 'Vijay Chowk protests'. And this comes straight from the horse's mouth. Read below ⬇️
In his latest book "Khaki Files - Inside stories of police investigations", former @DelhiPolice Commissioner - Neeraj Kumar has a separate chapter on Nirbhaya case titled "Night of Shame", in which he says his daughters received "rape threats" at that time, if he didn't quit.
@DelhiPolice “My mobile was inundated with messages – both text and WhatsApp – asking me in vulgar and nasty language to quit. My family members, particularly my daughters, were threatened with dire consequences, including rape," writes Neeraj Kumar.
@DelhiPolice "The poor girls, realizing that they should not add to my woes, kept this information to themselves and shared it with me only after the storm had blown over”, writes Neeraj Kumar, a 1976 batch retired IPS officer, who headed Delhi Police when Nirbhaya rape case happened.
@DelhiPolice Neeraj Kumar writes that media had taken an anti-police stance at that time, which was understandable, but despite doing such good work in solving the case, and addressing the press "my statements didn't cut ice with anyone present (in media room)".
@DelhiPolice "On the contrary, the body language of the press reporters, with whom I had always cordial relations, had suddenly changed. It was a foreboding of things to come," Neeraj Kumar writes.
@DelhiPolice About the demands of his resignation post the gangrape, Neeraj Kumar writes, "Very soon, it became a campaign not so much against the Delhi Police but against me. Both in print and electronic media, the speculation centered on my ouster."
@DelhiPolice Referring to a popular TV anchor, Neeraj Kumar writes "On the evening of 17 December, I received a call from........., who asked me rather curtly, 'Mr Kumar, don't you think you should resign from the post of commissioner of police in view of the horrific incident of gang rape?'"
@DelhiPolice ".........(anchor) brusque question jolted me. I wondered why a senior journalist, who was usually quite affable and personable, and was from a respected channel, would ask for my resignation. We had always shared a cordial relationship and she was the first media person......
@DelhiPolice .....to interview me after I had taken over as commissioner of police. Indeed, a horrific crime had taken place, and I, as police chief, was as upset as, if not more than, anyone else. My officers and men were working overtime to resolve the case".
@DelhiPolice NOW comes political angle to protests. About the protests at India Gate from December 18 till December 23, 2012, Neeraj Kumar writes - "As it always happens in such situations, riding on popular statement, political groups were getting involved and the crowds continued to swell..
@DelhiPolice "A certain party, harried by charges of large-scale corruption, thought it was the right time to divert public attention and began to participate in the protests. Lumpen elements, as is their wont, joined the otherwise peaceful crowds, making them belligerent and offensive".
@DelhiPolice Neeraj Kumar says while investigation was going on, "We (cops) often had to play cat and mouse with the by then not-so-decent press persons to evade them".
@DelhiPolice "Nobody was prepared to come out on any platform and defend us (@DelhiPolice); there was no one to say that it was no fault of ours and that we had done well to crack the case so quickly", Neeraj Kumar writes.
@DelhiPolice "Neither any political leader in the government nor any senior bureaucrat in the home ministry was willing to tell the public that the police had responded to the situation professionally. On the contrary, it was a free-for-all," Kumar writes.
@DelhiPolice "Khaki Files" would be released on October 30.
@DelhiPolice Important: Neeraj Kumar says that "the #NirbhayaRapeCase became a useful handle to malign the prevailing system wherein the Delhi Police are under the Lieutenant Governor".
@DelhiPolice V V Important: Neeraj Kumar says 'a suspended bureaucrat, whom he had arrested in 1999 for a corruption case during his CBI stint, had “financed the protests (which ensued after the rape at India Gate), to a large extent”. Kumar doesn’t name the bureaucrat in the book.
@DelhiPolice He (this bureaucrat) had done his best to block my appointment as the Commissioner of Police. Luckily, he had not succeeded in his designs. This horrific case gave him the opportunity he had been waiting for".
@DelhiPolice "Several pseudonymous complaints, ostensibly made by former civil servants and an eminent advocate, addressed to the president of India, with copies marked to all an sundry, started making the rounds. They all had one demand: sack the commissioner of police."
@DelhiPolice "These complaints were similar to the ones circulated when I was being considered as a prospective candidate for the post of commissioner of police and earlier, for empanelment for the post of director of the CBI," writes Kumar.
@DelhiPolice "The suspended bureaucrat had succeeded in prejudicing the then chief vigilance commissioner, who was the chairman of the selection committee to shortlist candidates for the post of director of the CBI," he adds.
@DelhiPolice "As conveyed to me later by more than one member of the committee, the CVC had prevailed on the committee that my inclusion would lead to a public uproar!. That is the power of false propaganda and false complaints in government, or for that matter in public life," he adds.
@DelhiPolice "All you need is a committed and vengeful detractor with a word processor. If he has a couple of celebrity accusers to support him, as my sworn enemy had in an ageing advocate and a prominent politician, then you've had it," Kumar writes.
@DelhiPolice SERIOUS CHARGE. Neeraj Kumar writes, - "it was brought to my notice that the suspended bureaucrat had used some of his ill-gotten wealth to bankroll the outrage directed at me - both in the higher echelons of the media and in political circles".
@DelhiPolice "He (bureaucrat) joined hands with the political forces inimical to the Delhi Police and financed the protests to a large extent. I cannot fully substantiate my allegation for my readers, but an insider privy to this conspiracy shared its details with me shortly before I retired"
@DelhiPolice "He (insider) rang me up, identified himself as a lawyer and insisted I meet him. During the meeting he confessed that he, with a few others, had been behind every complaint filed against me, at the behest of the dishonest bureaucrat".
@DelhiPolice "Of late, he had fallen out with the bureaucrat as the latter had played dirty with him. He wanted to let me know that a lot of money had changed hands between the dishonest public servant and the local political leadership of the day with my ouster being ultimate goal", Kumar
@DelhiPolice Kumar then claims in book that a newly created dying political party in Delhi at that time also used Nirbhaya case to revive itself.
@DelhiPolice "Around this time (Nirbhaya protests), a nascent political party with its roots in Delhi had lost steam and was gasping for breath after its supreme leader, who had mass appeal, decided to call it quits."
@DelhiPolice "The #NirbhayaGanrapeCase provided the dying party with yet another opportunity to take to the streets to revive and reassert its existence. Its party workers constituted a major portion of the crowds demonstrating against the government of the day and demanded my ouster".
@DelhiPolice "The composition of the crowd (in protests) was amorphous and diverse with no one leader who could be approached by the government to initiate a dialogue. Nor was any political leader of standing prepared to come forward and address the protestors on behalf of government".
@DelhiPolice "It was a stalemate between the police and the protestors, who wanted to make Vijay Chowk a Tiananmen Square of sorts," writes Neeraj Kumar.
@DelhiPolice Kumar writes that it was him who offered to have a judicial committee looking into police's role and new laws related to crimes against women.
@DelhiPolice "I was aware that by offering to undergo a judicial inquiry, I was sticking out both my own neck and those of my boys," he states in book.
@DelhiPolice Neeraj Kumar says that Prime Minister at that time - Dr Manmohan Singh, was not in favour of judicial inquiry as he felt that police had done a good job.
@DelhiPolice On the death of Head Constable Subhash Tomar, who died in India Gate protests, Neeraj Kumar writes - "Regrettably, the media showed no remorse or symapthy for the late head constable or his bereaved family."
@DelhiPolice "They (media) tried to pass it off as a death caused on account of head constable's poor cardiac condition and not the injuries he had sustained at the protestors' hands". Kumar says Tomar was mercilessly beaten up by the protestors.
@DelhiPolice Neeraj Kumar thanks @SrBachchan in his book saying "the iconic and legendary film star sent a handsome amount of money by cheque, with a letter of condolence to the bereaved family".
@DelhiPolice @SrBachchan "While no citizen from the city of Delhi, some of whom have vulgar amounts of wealth, came forward to help the late head constable's kin, at least a celebrity of the stature of @SrBachchan, living over a thousand miles away, deemed it his duty to recognise policeman's martyrdom..
@DelhiPolice @SrBachchan ...and chip in to help his family. I was touched by his gesture and sent him and emotional thank-you letter on behalf of Delhi police".
@DelhiPolice @SrBachchan Neeraj Kumar repeatedly appreciates the work done by then DCP Chhaya Sharma, several inspectors of South Delhi for their exemplary investigation in #NIrbhayaRapeCase and then Special Commissioner of Police Dharmendra Kumar for handling the protests.
