New Delhi: Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chairperson Swati Maliwal on Thursday said that she was dragged by a car for 10-15 metres outside AIIMS when her hand got stuck in the vehicle’s window and its inebriated driver drove on. The incident took place in the early hours of the day when the DCW chief was out to inspect the state of women’s security in Delhi along with her team, who were stationed at some distance from her.
After the incident, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal asked lieutenant-governor V.K. Saxena to leave politics aside and focus on the law and order situation in the national capital.
“What happened to the law and order situation in Delhi? The morale of the goons has increased so much that even the women’s commission chairperson is not safe.
“Only this work has been given to the L-G sahib by the Constitution. L-G sahib is requested to leave politics for a few days and focus on law and order. We will fully cooperate with him,” Mr Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.
Ms Maliwal said the car stopped in front of her outside AIIMS gate number 2 and the driver asked her to get in. On being refused, he drove past her only to come back a second time and ask her again to board the vehicle.
This time, Ms Maliwal approached the vehicle from the driver’s side window to reprimand the man, but he quickly rolled up the glass pane trapping her hand in it and then drove on for 10-15 metres.
Police officials said a patrol vehicle spotted her on the pavement opposite AIIMS around 3.05 am and stopped to enquire if she was in distress.
Ms Maliwal narrated her ordeal, following which the vehicle was tracked down and its driver, 47-year-old Harish Chandra of South Delhi’s Sangam Vihar, was apprehended.
DCP (South) Chandan Chowdhary said a case was registered under IPC Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act at Kotla Mubarakpur based on a complaint from the DCW chief.
“Last night I was inspecting the situation of women’s safety in Delhi. A car driver, in an inebriated condition, harassed me and when I caught hold of him, he grabbed my hand in the car window and dragged me. God saved my life. If the chairperson of the women’s commission is not safe in Delhi, one can then imagine the situation,” Ms Maliwal wrote on Twitter in Hindi.
The National Commission for Women has sought a report from the Delhi police on the matter.
“@NCWIndia has taken cognisance of the matter. The commission is seeking a report from @DelhiPolice and writing to take strict action against the accused,” it said in a tweet.
NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma tweeted, “Shocking incident. NCW is seeking a report from the Delhi police and writing for strict action against the perpetrator.”
