AAP, L-G office trade barbs over Asha Kiran administrator’s appointment
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 3
The AAP has raised serious concerns about Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) VK Saxena’s decision to appoint Rahul Agarwal as the administrator of the Asha Kiran shelter home, where 14 inmates died in July. AAP leaders have demanded accountability and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding these deaths.
At a press conference here on Saturday, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised the appointment of Agarwal, who was previously arrested by the CBI in 2016 on the bribery charge and was suspended for five years. “I want to know on what grounds the L-G appointed Agarwal as the administrator of the shelter home,” Bharadwaj said.
Bharadwaj also questioned the lack of action against both Agarwal and the secretary of the Social Welfare Department, emphasising that the L-G, who oversees officer transfers and postings, should be held accountable.
Meanwhile, the L-G Secretariat clarified that the appointment was made internally by the Social Welfare Department, which falls entirely under the control of the CM and minister. The Secretariat emphasised that the administrator was not appointed by the L-G.
According to the statement, Agarwal, a Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Services (DANICS) officer, was assigned to the Social Welfare Department on February 15, 2021, after approval by the then L-G. The decision to appoint him as the administrator of Asha Kiran was made by the minister responsible for the department at that time.
The L-G Secretariat criticised the AAP’s statement, calling it “blatantly wrong and arrogantly misleading”. The statement also highlighted that the Social Welfare Department has been without a minister since Raaj Kumar Anand’s resignation. While Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accepted Anand's resignation and forwarded it to the L-G, he is yet to appoint a new minister for the department, which the Secretariat noted is particularly in need of political oversight.
The Secretariat questioned Bharadwaj’s call for accountability, labelling it as “shameful audacity”.
AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak added, “We received information a few days ago that the deaths were due to a lack of proper water, food and medical facilities. Immediate action is required, and the public deserves to see the vigilance report on Agarwal.”
In response to the deaths, the Delhi Government has ordered a magisterial probe. Saxena condemned the fatalities as a criminal act against society’s most vulnerable and has called for a thorough investigation into all government shelter homes.
