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.
While campaigning in favour of AAP candidate Satinder Singh for by poll in Adampur in Haryana, the Chief Minister said the people of Punjab are trusting them, and AAP will never let this trust be broken at any cost. He said now it is Haryana's turn and the beginning of this change in Haryana will begin from the Adampur constituency.
The Indian embassy further advised citizens to contact it for any assistance needed for crossing the border. It also advised the citizens to contact Indian embassies in Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia as per their exit plans.
According to data shared by Delhi Police, from October 1 to 24, a total of 17,357.134 kg firecrackers were seized which were kept for storage or sale and a total of 150 firecrackers sales were registered.
The Chief Minister extended warm greetings to the people, especially the Sikhs, on the historic Bandi Chhor Diwas, to mark the release from prison of the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind, and 52 other princes with him, in 1619.
Tight security arrangements are being put in place for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Ayodhya on Sunday. International guests, diplomats, Union Ministers and celebrities are expected to join the Deepotsav festivities on Sunday. Key events will be organised at the Ram Katha Park.
Paying tributes to the martyrs, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said the Punjab Police is an exceptional force which served the country both in times of peace and disturbance. He said 1,792 police officers had sacrificed their lives while fighting terrorism during the period from September 1981 to August 1992.
