New Delhi, Jan 19 (IANS) Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Thursday said that she will continue her inspection on roads of the national capital especially during night .
Her statement comes after she was dragged by a man when she had gone for an inspection at AIIMS in the early hours of January 19. The man had started making lewd and vulgar gestures towards Maliwal and she was reprimanding him when he asked her to sit in his car, the man suddenly pulled the car glass up and hand of Maliwal got stuck in car's window,
According to Chandan Chowdhary, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), on January 19, a PCR call was received at 3.11 a.m. that a woman had been dragged near AIIMS bus stop.
"The call was made by Garuda 1 (a special patrolling vehicle in the South district) to the control room at 3.10 a.m. The patrol vehicle had seen the woman on the pavement opposite AIIMS Gate number 2 area at 3.05 a.m. and had stopped to enquire from her whether she was in distress," said the DCP.
"The woman mentioned that a person driving the Baleno car, who was drunk, stopped near her and asked her to sit in the car with a bad intention. When she refused he went and again came back after taking a U-turn from the service lane. He once again asked her to sit in the car," said the official.
"She refused and went near the driver's side window to reprimand him. The car driver quickly rolled up the window, as such that her hand got stuck and she was dragged for 10-15 metres," the official added.
"The said Baleno vehicle was apprehended by the PCR vehicle and Garuda at 3.34 a.m. The woman was identified as Swati Maliwal. A written complaint was taken from her. The driver of the vehicle and complainant were sent for medical examination," said the DCP.
A case under section 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) of the Indian Penal Code at Kotla Mubarak Pur police station.
The accused identified as Harish Chandra, a resident of Sangam Vihar, has been arrested, said police.
The official said a man, in an inebriated condition, had stopped his car next to DCW chief Maliwal and asked her to sit in the car with a bad intention.
When Maliwal refused he went but again came back after taking a U-Turn from the service lane and once again asked her to sit in the car.
In a statement issued by the DCW, it said that in the backdrop of the painful death of a 20-year-old woman, Swati Maliwal decided to inspect the condition of safety of women during night time.
The DCW chief visited several places near Kanjhawala, Munirka, Mundka, Hauz Khas and observed dark spots and deployment of police at various places in Delhi. Maliwal also stopped at several bus stops in the night and observed the safety situation.
"During the inspection, Maliwal was standing at a bus stop on Ring Road opposite AIIMS Hospital when a car approached her. The driver unrolled the car's window and offered asked her to sit in the car but she refused the same. The man stared at her for some time and left the spot but again approached her after some time," it said.
"He again asked her to sit in his car but she again refused. He started making lewd gestures towards her. When she approached him to reprimand him he made a vulgar gesture towards her. When she tried to catch hold of him he rolled the window due to which Maliwal's hand got stuck. He then pushed the accelerator to drag her for several meters with the car. She somehow managed to escape," it added.
"After the incident of the Kanjhawala murder I wanted to assess the safety conditions across Delhi. I was on a night inspection. We observed several dark spots in different areas and will be issuing notices to concerned authorities for the same. While on the inspection, a man molested me and dragged me with his car. If DCW chief isn't safe in Delhi, one can imagine how unsafe Delhi is for women," said Maliwal.
The incident took place on Tuesday during a demonstration by the BJP in front of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader's official residence over the Delhi Disaster Management Authority's (DDMA) order restricting celebration of Chhath Puja in the national capital.
The minister and his son are accused in the October 3 incident in which nine persons, including four farmers, were mowed down by SUVs. The minister's son Ashish Mishra has already been arrested.
It's likely that Sidhu will put forth the list of demands in the Punjab government as he is upset with the appointments in the government. He has resigned from the post of state president, but it has not been accepted yet by Sonia Gandhi. The meeting gains significance as it comes ahead of the CWC meeting.
The civil secretariat houses the top offices of the government, including those of the Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha and his advisors. Police tried to intervene to restrain the mourners from carrying out the sit-in outside the civil secretariat.
"My son will go to the police tomorrow and assist the probe. He has not escaped anywhere," Mishra said on his arrival in Lucknow. He said that his son was very much in their house in Lakhimpur.
Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday proceeded on indefinite fast in support of his demand for action against Ashish Mishra, the son of Union Minister Ajay Mishra and main accused in Sunday's violence in which nine persons, including four farmers, were killed.
