DCW Chief’s sits on strike after being denied meeting with rape victim, accuses police of obstructing duty

New Delhi, August 22, 2023: Swati Maliwal, the Chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), initiated a sit-in protest at a hospital, claiming that she was obstructed from meeting a minor girl who had reportedly been sexually assaulted by a senior Delhi government official. Maliwal spent the night at the hospital after being denied access to the 16-year-old victim.

Accusing the Delhi Police of engaging in unruly behavior, Maliwal asserted, “They are neither allowing me to meet the girl nor her mother. I can’t understand what the police want to hide from me. I am being told that the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson was allowed to meet the girl’s mother. When the NCPCR chairperson can meet the mother, why is the DCW chief not being allowed for the same?”

Maliwal expressed her frustration on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), stating, “Since 12 noon yesterday, I am sitting outside the hospital to meet the victim girl or her family. Slept outside the hospital at night. The NCPCR can be introduced to the girl’s mother, so why have I been asked to stop? What are you trying to hide?”

The 16-year-old victim had allegedly endured sexual assault over several months, leading to her pregnancy. On Monday, Delhi Police apprehended the accused government official, Premoday Khakha (51), along with his wife Seema Rani (50).

DCP (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi disclosed, “In the case of sexual assault with a minor, we have arrested two persons. One of them is Premoday Khakha, 51 years old, a Deputy Director in the Department of Women and Child Development of GNCT, and the second accused is his wife, Seema Rani, 50 years old.”

The victim, who had been residing with the accused couple in Burari, reportedly endured the ordeal between October 2020 and February 2021 following the demise of her father, who was also a Delhi government employee.

In response to the allegations, the Delhi government promptly suspended the official implicated in the rape case. An official order issued by the Delhi government stated, “Premoday Khakha, Assistant Director, is hereby placed under suspension with immediate effect.”

As the controversy unfolds, Maliwal’s determined hospital vigil brings attention to the quest for justice and accountability in a case that has raised alarm across the city.