Somnath Bharti

Leader of the Aam Aadmi Party and Delhi’s former Law Minister Somnath Bharti has often courted controversy. And he has done it again now. AAP has been relentless in its quest for getting control of the state’s police force, a demand it has made frequently, citing the party’s helplessness in improving law and order. It was in this context that Bharti reportedly said, “I am fully confident that if the Delhi government is given full freedom [over security], beautiful women will be able to go out even after midnight without any fear.” He made the comment during a discussion on the setting up of a Commission of Inquiry in the Delhi Assembly.

Predictably, his words were met with sharp reactions from the BJP, the Congress and citizens on social media. Walking around after midnight in a city like Delhi can be a nightmare for people of any gender, and women do not need to be ‘beautiful’ to fear assault. Bharti has defended his statement on Facebook: ‘I request media friends not to twist my statement: I have said “beautiful women laden with jewelries (sic) can travel at midnight fearlessly is the kind of benchmark one can measure security level at Delhi against, if AAP has police control in the city.’

Aam Aadmi PartyDelhi governmentformer Law MinisterSomnath Bharti