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.
On receiving information about the incident, SP City Dinesh Kumar Singh, along with police force, reached the spot. The injured youths were sent to the hospital for treatment and the matter is being investigated.
The Chief Minister said the government is fully sensitive towards checking cross-border infiltration in Punjab. He said Punjab Police is constantly in touch with the Border Security Force (BSF) and other agencies for this purpose.
While briefing the officers, the DGP said the topmost priority of the government, as directed by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, is to further strengthen the fight against drugs to make Punjab a drug-free state, besides eliminating the gangster culture, maintaining law and order, and detection of crime.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur announced Rs 5 lakh to the next of the kin of the deceased, whereas Rs 15,000 as immediate relief for the injured. He said free treatment would be provided to the injured.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday carried out his first Cabinet expansion by inducting five legislators, including second-time MLA Aman Arora, into his council of ministers. The expansion came in less than four months of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sweeping to victory in the Assembly elections by winning 92 seats of the 117 seats.
The police have so far managed to nab four of the accused, including one woman, who have been identified as Gurjant Singh (31), Navjot Singh (30), Satpal Singh (28) and Gurpreet Kaur (30).
