Denied permission at Jantar Mantar Maliwal to continue protest at Raj Ghat

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal told media that she was asked to shift from Jantar Mantar area to Raj Ghat, as she continues her indefinite hunger strike over strict and swift punishment to the convicts in rape cases.

New Delhi:Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal on Tuesday said that she was no longer being allowed to sit in Jantar Mantar area and was being shifted to Raj Ghat where she would continue her indefinite strike.

"I am being told by Delhi police that I can no longer sit in Jantar Mantar, they are shifting me to Raj Ghat, and I am continuing my indefinite strike," Mailwal said.

Earlier in the day, Maliwal had accused the police of trying to disrupt her indefinite hunger strike over the Telangana rape and murder case.

"Delhi Police is time and again trying to stop us from holding the indefinite hunger strike. They are trying to make us leave from Jantar Mantar and are also not letting us know where to go so that we can continue our fight for women's rights," Maliwal said.

She had however asserted that her indefinite hunger strike will not end, irrespective of whatever actions the police might take, and urged the officials to help them in their endeavour.

"We haven't even put a tent or even a loudspeaker, what problems can we cause to anyone? They are asking us to go to Ramleela Maidan, do they not know that it is a hub for gamblers and alcoholics? Our fight is not against the police but the system, we appeal to the Prime Minister to ensure that rapists are given stringent punishments within six months in the country," she said.

The DCW chairperson also demanded a quick filling up of the empty posts in Delhi Police to ensure women's safety in the national capital.

Starting her indefinite hunger strike today, Maliwal had said that her protest would continue until the Central government gives assurance that rapists will be hanged within six months, Nirbhaya fund is efficiently utilized and more police personnel are deployed across the country.

Her decision came in the backdrop of the gruesome rape and murder of a veterinary doctor in Telangana and a six-year-old in Rajasthan last week.

"Last year on the 10th day of my hunger strike, the Prime Minister made stringent laws prescribing a person who rapes minor to be hanged within six months. I am going to sit on an indefinite hunger strike and it will last until the laws which have been formulated are implemented," Maliwal said.