Turf war between NIA, Delhi police?

Investigation agency has allegedly failed to keep police officials informed and is treating them like 'insignificant members'

Turf war between NIA, Delhi police?

Investigation agency has allegedly failed to keep police officials informed and is treating them like 'insignificant members'

The elite National Investigation Agency (NIA) is allegedly treating Delhi police as its poor cousin. The NIA officials are allegedly keeping facts from Delhi police in connection with the blast that took place outside Delhi High Court on September 7. According to a source, they also have accused the special cell officials for not doing their work properly.

Branching out: Officers of National Investigation Agency (NIA)
collecting evidence from a tree top near the site of blast at High Court,
in New Delhi. File PIC

According to a highly-placed source, a meeting wasu00a0 held last Wednesday between Delhi police and NIA officials to discuss some important issue. The source said that instead of discussing the important issue, the NIA officials accused the Delhi police team of duplication of work.

"They said that the police team repeats the same work that they have been doing and this is creating a big problem in the investigation," said the source. The NIA officials then asked the Delhi police team to maintain a record of the injured people and hand over to them the same. "This has angered the police team. Delhi police is doing excellent work but the NIA is not happy with us," the source rued.

A day after the meeting last Thursday, the NIA team produced alleged terrorists Abid Hussain, Shariq Ahmed and Amir Abbas in Patiala House court without informing the local police."We had no information that alleged terrorists have been taken to the court. We sent a SWAT team after we came to know about it. The NIA should have informed us," said a senior police official of Delhi police.u00a0

Learning the ropes?
A highly placed source said that the NIA officials are yet to undergo training to learn what are IPC and CRPC and confuse police officials. "Most of the NIA officials are of J&K Cadre, officials who had been posted with CISF and ITBP. They don't know much about IPC and CRPC. Around 60 officials are undergoing training to learn about these terms. Classes have been made available by the CBI," the source said. The source said that no Delhi police official has been taken in by the NIA team. He further said that Subhash Tandon was the only police official on the team, but he is back with them now.

19 cops, 19 autopsies
According to sources, 19 special cell officials were deputed for conducting the post-mortem of 19 deceased. A source said that the NIA did not bother to conduct post-mortem of any of the deceased and due to their behaviour, 19 of their top police officials were pressed into service.

At the beginning of the High Court blast investigation, the NIA team had pulled up Delhi police, accusing it of giving out incorrect sketches. "They wanted to call artists from Mumbai to make new sketches. They have let us down many times," the source added.u00a0This reporter contacted the Delhi police top officials, DCP, crime, Ashok Chand, DCP, special cell, Arun Kampani and police spokesperson Rajan Bhagt, but none of them was available to comment.

Not permitted?
Last Wednesday, Shahzad, an under-trial in connection with the 2008 Delhi serial blasts approached the court against the NIA team, accusing them of interrogating him without court's permission. Tihar Jail PRO Sunil Gupta said the NIA team visited the jail to interrogate Shahzad, reportedly an Indian Mujhaideen (IM) member. The NIA team had taken permission from the court, he said.u00a0