- Thursday, April 25, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
India’s capital New Delhi has often found itself in the headlines for wrong reasons such as crime against women. Recently, the news of a 20-year-old woman getting killed after she was dragged by a car for a long distance in the city on the New Year’s Day shook the entire nation.
And now, none other than the chief of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has faced a horrific incident on the streets of Delhi in the wee hours, which compelled her to ask that if an official like her was not safe in the city, then what about the common women?
Swati Maliwal, who has always been vocal on issues that are related to crime against women, has alleged that she was harassed on the road and dragged by a drunk car driver for 15 metres early on Thursday (19). This happened near the capital’s AIIMS Hospital when she was out to assess the situation of women’s security in the city.
In a tweet in Hindi, Maliwal said, “Late last night I was inspecting the situation of women’s security in Delhi. A car driver molested me in an inebriated condition and when I caught hold of him, he locked my hand in the car window and dragged me. God saved life. If the Chairperson of the Women’s Commission is not safe in Delhi, then imagine the situation.”
कल देर रात मैं दिल्ली में महिला सुरक्षा के हालात Inspect कर रही थी। एक गाड़ी वाले ने नशे की हालत में मुझसे छेड़छाड़ की और जब मैंने उसे पकड़ा तो गाड़ी के शीशे में मेरा हाथ बंद कर मुझे घसीटा। भगवान ने जान बचाई। यदि दिल्ली में महिला आयोग की अध्यक्ष सुरक्षित नहीं, तो हाल सोच लीजिए।
— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) January 19, 2023
A man, aged 47, was arrested in connection with the incident.
Maliwal told the police that around 3.41 am local time, a man identified as Harish Chandra drove up to her in a car and asked her to get in, NDTV reported. She alleged that he was heavily drunk.
According to the DCW chief, when she refused, the man went away only to return taking a narrow parallel lane. He then allegedly tried to force Maliwal to join him and when she reached into the window to catch him, the driver allegedly put up the window, trapping her hand.
Maliwal’s team was waiting at a distance when the incident took place.
The man kept driving, dragging Maliwal for about 15 metres when she managed to free herself. The accused was arrested and his car was seized, the NDTV report added.
