Something like Anjali would've happened to me: DCW chief

NOIDA: Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Thursday narrated the incident where she was allegedly molested and dragged by an inebriated man after her hand got stuck in his car's window.

Speaking to ANI, the DCW chief said that the man dragged her for 10-15 metres and if her team member and she had not screamed, something like Anjali would have happened to her.

Notably, a 20-year-old girl Anjali Singh died in a hit-and-drag incident at Kanjhawala on New Year's night. "I went out last night on the streets of Delhi to inspect the situation of women's security in Delhi. I wanted to see what big promises are made regarding women's safety in Delhi and whether there have been any changes in them since Anjali's incident. I was standing alone at the AIIMS bus stop and I saw that one by one car and trucks started stopping there and suddenly a white car came and stood in front of me and the man who was sitting in the car was drunk and he started asking me again and again and pressured me to sit in his car and when I told him that I will not sit in his car, he furiously left but after 10 minutes he was back again and forced me to sit in his car," said Maliwal.

"I again told him that I will not go with him but he continued to force me and started making dirty gestures and started doing very dirty things. When I tried to catch him, he immediately rolled up the window of his car and my hand got stuck inside the car. Then he put his foot on the accelerator and the car ran at a speed and I was stuck in his car," she said.

"He dragged me for 10-15 m. Then a man from my team and I screamed and he left me. If he had not left me then, something like Anjali would've happened to me....," she explained further.

She further questioned the government over the 'safety of women' in the national capital.

"See what is the condition of the security in Delhi. This is women's security that even the chairperson of Delhi's Women's Commission is not safe," Maliwal said. Earlier, the Delhi Police said that it has arrested one person in connection with an incident in which Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal alleged that she was "molested" and "dragged by a car" for several metres opposite AIIMS in the national capital in the early hours of this morning.

Speaking to ANI, DCP South Chandan Chowdhary stated that according to Maliwal she was with her team outside the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here at around 2.45 am when the arrested accused identified as Harish Chandra, a resident of Sangam Vihar area, appeared to be in an inebriated condition approached her.

The DCW chief in her complaint to police alleged that the man who was driving a white-coloured car stopped his car near where she was standing and "made indecent gestures" at her. He then beckoned her to sit inside his vehicle, claimed Maliwal. When she reprimanded him, the man allegedly went away but returned a short while and again repeated his actions, police said.

She was standing with her team at Gate number 2 of the AIIMS which comes under the Kotla Police Station area. According to Maliwal's complaint, when she was standing on the footpath, a white-coloured vehicle approached her whose driver offered her a lift and started insisting that she sit inside the car.

"When she refused again and went near the driver's side window to reprimand him the man rolled up the car's glass window and her hand got stuck and she got dragged for about 10-15 metres," the DCP Chowdhary said. The police official said that a PCR call was received at around 3.12 am and a police team including ACP Hauz Khas reached the spot at around 3.20 am the accused was apprehended. "The police took a written complaint from Maliwal and sent her and the accused for medical examination," the DCP added.

A case was registered under the IPC in which Sections of molestation (354) were also included. Other sections include 323/341/509 IPC and the 185 Motor Vehicles Act. Further investigation into the matter is underway. Maliwal's statement comes days after a 20-year-old woman identified as Anjali died after allegedly being dragged in the Kanjhawala area of Delhi for several kilometres.