Senior IPS officer appointed new chief of Delhi Police following riots

Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer S N Srivastava was appointed the new chief of Delhi Police today and will replace commissioner Amulya Patnaik who retires tomorrow, an Indian Home Ministry official told our New Delhi correspondent.

Patnaik was given a month-long extension after he had superannuated in January.

Earlier, Srivastava was made Special Commissioner (Law and Order) of Delhi Police by the Indian Home Ministry a few days ago after bringing him in from the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

Delhi Police attracted widespread criticism for its response to the recent riots in parts of north east Delhi, where the official death count was pegged at 35, and also for handling of the violence in Jawaharlal Nehru University and during anti-CAA protests at Shaheeb Bagh near Jamia Millia University in Delhi some weeks ago.

More than 200 people were injured in the communal clashes that broke out on Monday and the localities areas affected include Jaffrabad, Maujpur, Chand Bagh, Khureji Khas and Bhajanpura.

Meanwhile, the mosques in northeast Delhi today appealed for maintaining peace and harmony in the riot-hit areas.

The mosques appealed to people to be united and not fall prey to rumours, urging the people to report about suspicious people to the authorities and cooperate with the police.