File photo: Arvind Kejriwal at the locality where a 19-year-old girl was stabbed multiple times last month
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has said that top police officers of the city are "agents" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who, he adds, is a "speed-breaker" in the progress of the capital.
"In Delhi Police, officials in the lower rung are very brave and are doing very good work. Those at the top have become the agents of the BJP and Narendra Modi," Mr Kejriwal said during a debate in the Delhi assembly on crimes against women.
The Chief Minister took no names but it was apparent that he was referring to Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi, who recently challenged him to a debate on whether his force should be under the state government or the Centre.
Mr Bassi reports to Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, who has been accused by the Kejriwal government of acting as a proxy for the Centre's ruling BJP.
"There are several speed breakers for us... LG is a speed breaker, Meena and Bassi are all speed breakers for us," the Chief Minister said.
Mr Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have accused the Delhi Police of failing to check crimes on their watch.
They have repeatedly demanded that the control of Delhi Police be transferred from the Centre to the state government and the recent murder of a teenager, who was stabbed multiple times for allegedly complaining against harassment, has been held up as an example of why the demand is justified.
At the special one-day session, the house passed a resolution backing a three-member commission of inquiry to handle complaints that have been neglected since February 2013 in connection with crimes against women like violence, sexual harassment and stalking. The panel will be headed by a retired judge.
Mr Kejriwal said either PM Modi should make Delhi safer in six months or hand over the reins of Delhi Police to the AAP government.