A poignant attempt at empathy turned confrontational in Janakpuri when Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj was detained Sunday at the residence of pothole victim Kamal Dhiani. The leader, flanked by party workers, sought to commiserate with the bereaved family and hold a candle march, but police intervention from multiple stations quashed the effort.
Post-detention, Bharadwaj didn’t hold back, blasting the capital’s governance to reporters. “Witness this authoritarianism: Parents dart between six police stations overnight—no action. We gather for tribute, and they unleash squads with the victim’s image.” His words resonated amid rising concerns over road fatalities.
Bharadwaj framed the incident as emblematic of wider malaise. “No regard for law anywhere in Delhi—slums or elites. It’s outright hooliganism: silence critics, shun solutions. AAP won’t be cowed; we’ll keep demanding better.”
Recapping the horror, Dhiani perished February 5 when his motorcycle hit a pothole, a preventable death in a city plagued by poor maintenance. The family’s ignored FIR attempts spotlighted alleged police indifference, intensifying AAP-BJP hostilities.
“People of Delhi observe it all,” Bharadwaj warned. “Under BJP, woes mount unanswered—self-interest reigns.” This detention could galvanize opposition, spotlighting urgent needs for infrastructure overhauls, FIR protocols, and depoliticized policing. As vigils loom and accusations fly, the tragedy demands more than rhetoric: real reforms to safeguard lives on Delhi’s treacherous streets.