‘Being falsely implicated for DCW’s good work’

Refuting corruption allegations and speaking on the charge-sheet filed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), the Delhi Commission for Women Chief Swati Maliwal said that she is being unfairly targeted for political reasons. 

“I am being falsely implicated for initiating swift action in the cases related to crime against women and to highlight inaction and apathy towards women safety and security of Delhi’s top authority,” said Maliwal in a press conference on Wednesday.

The DCW Chief stated that even though a wrong charge-sheet has been made against her, she will not back off from the issues of women welfare and security. She cited that the speed in which an FIR and charge-sheet has been made against her shows a deliberate attempt to prevent her and her team at DCW to work on major issues that concern the safety of women especially of those women who are exploited daily. Maliwal mentioned that her pressure on the Lieutenant Governor on acting against the brothels at GB Road was one major reason of her being wrongly targeted.

“Just at a distance of three kilometre from the Parliament lies GB Road where women are daily exploited. The fact that it is happening so close to the seat of power shows that people in power are involved in the business of brothels. DCW is constantly investigating on who are the people involved and thereby trying to stop us. We are being wrongfully targeted,” she said.

The DCW Chief further added: “The DCW was in touch with various MCD officers and was very soon going to be a part of th edemolition drive at GB Road. This news was leaked and now attempts are being made to scare us away. It will be for the first time that the Delhi high court would have send a notice to the head of Delhi asking about his accountability. To show his anger, the LG is targeting the DCW.”

Hitting out at Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor (LG) Najeeb Jung, Maliwal said that the recent move of the ACB was also the result of the Delhi high court sending the notice to the LG asking him that why for a year there was no meeting convened by him on the issue of women security.

In another startling claim, the women commission chief said that the commission was pursuing three cases in which politicians of a major parties were involved in sexual crimes. To drop the cases, the DCW was constantly being pressurised. 

“DCW is an apolitical organisation which does not discuss about its cases openly. However, when we are wrongfully charged for pursuing and investigating cases, truth and right facts must come out. Even despite pressures, threats and charge-sheets, I will not back off and continue to fight for the rights of women of GB Road and women of Delhi,” she added.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister in support of the DCW Chief tweeted: “3 FIRs against Sheila Dikshit n 1 against Mukesh Ambani pending in ACB for more than 2 yrs. No action?”