Direct police to allow meeting with minor rape survivor, DCW chief in letter to HM

New Delhi: DCW chief Swati Maliwal on Tuesday requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to direct the Delhi Police to allow her meeting with the minor girl allegedly raped by a senior Delhi government official.

In a letter to Shah, she also urged the home minister to order an inquiry into the delay in arresting the accused and to shift the girl to AIIMS for better treatment.

Maliwal staged an unwavering protest outside St Stephen’s Hospital, lasting from Monday evening to Tuesday morning, to meet the survivor of the shocking rape case and her family.

Despite waiting outside the hospital for over 24 hours and sleeping overnight, Maliwal’s repeated requests to meet the survivor or her family were denied by the Delhi Police and the hospital authorities. She condemned this as a misuse of power, effectively stalling the DCW’s mission.

Maliwal questioned the motives behind obstructing her efforts on X (previously known as Twitter), demanding answers, “What are you trying to hide?”

The harrowing case involves the alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl by a government officer within the Women and Child Development Department. DCW swiftly initiated an inquiry, issuing notices to the Delhi Police and the Delhi government.

Additionally, a mysterious letter from the victim’s mother further complicated matters. Hospital authorities presented a letter devoid of addressees, containing just two lines indicating the mother’s reluctance to interact with anyone. Sharing this letter with the press inadvertently revealed the survivor’s identity, a grave breach of privacy. Maliwal disagreed about blindly trusting the authorities, especially given the private hospital’s status.

She called for the urgent transfer of the survivor to AIIMS for superior medical care or to dispatch a team of AIIMS doctors if the family preferred to remain at the current facility.