AAP Questions LG on Controversial Appointment Amid Shelter Home Deaths

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has raised concerns about Lt Governor V.K. Saxena’s role in appointing Rahul Agarwal, previously suspended for bribery, as the administrator of Asha Kiran shelter home, where 14 inmates recently died. The LG's office clarified that the appointment was under the Social Welfare Department's jurisdiction.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday questioned Lt Governor V.K. Saxena’s reasons for appointing an officer, previously suspended for bribery, as the administrator of Asha Kiran shelter home, where 14 inmates died in July.

Officials at Raj Niwas clarified that the Social Welfare Department internally appointed the administrator, stressing the department falls under the control of the chief minister and concerned minister.

The administrator, Rahul Agarwal, was allegedly arrested by the CBI in 2016 for bribery and had been suspended for five years. Senior AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj demanded to know why Agarwal was given the role despite reported irregularities and the extraordinary number of deaths at the shelter home.

Raj Niwas officials countered that Agarwal was appointed to the Social Welfare department on February 15, 2021, with the approval of the then L-G, dismissing AAP's allegations as 'blatantly wrong and arrogantly misleading'.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva pointed fingers at the AAP government, suggesting they take responsibility for the deaths, while Bharadwaj insisted that accountability lies with the LG.