‘Delhi is not safe — for women, children or MPs’: Lok Sabha MP R Sudha after chain snatching

On Wednesday, the Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of the Delhi Police nabbed the accused, Sohan Rawat, from near his house in Southeast Delhi’s Okhla and recovered the chain.

Ramakrishnan also said the Union Home Ministry did not take note of an MP falling prey to snatchers in the Capital. “The Home Minister was informed about the snatching, but he hasn’t reacted even once. The Delhi Police is under the Home Ministry, not the state government. I am a colleague of his, and there was still no response…”

She also pointed to the lack of security.

“I didn’t see a single policeman or patrol car that day. The police are saying that they have increased security for Independence Day, but where is it? If the government is not reacting to a colleague, I don’t know what common women go through,” she said.

The Congress MP from Mayiladuthurai was staying at Tamil Nadu House to attend the monsoon session of the Parliament when the daylight robbery occurred.

“I was too traumatised to go for my daily walk today (Tuesday),” she said. I have undergone immense turmoil since yesterday… my clothes were torn in the snatching. I had to hold my clothes together and go back to the guest house in that state,” she said.

According to Ramakrishnan, she was out for her daily walk early Monday with a fellow Rajya Sabha MP when a man on a scooter approached them at a slow pace and snatched the gold chain she was wearing. The man was wearing a helmet, preventing her from seeing his face.

“The two of us rushed back to the guest house after that… it must have been two minutes when we saw a police patrol car. I told one of the police officers what had happened in a panic. I thought they would alert the traffic police or someone, but they just noted down my phone number and took me to the police station,” said Ramakrishnan.

According to the MP, she expected the police to at least chase down the snatcher since it had not been very long since the incident.

Ramakrishnan, however, said she was grateful that her influence as a Member of Parliament could get her speedy access to police and higher authorities.

“These snatching gangs are habitual offenders… so many people came and told me (in the aftermath) that it was common in Delhi. Everyone says crime is common in Delhi. They tell women not to go out after dark, they say keep your phone carefully, don’t wear heavy jewellery. Is this any way to live? Is this supposed to be the image of the Capital?” she asked.