NEW DELHI: Members of the
Delhi Commission for Women
(
DCW
), Firdos Khan and Kiran Negi accused
Swati Maliwal
of making “malicious” and “fictitious” claims. Maliwal on Tuesday wrote a letter to chief minister
Arvind Kejriwal
, accusing the Delhi government of systematically dismantling the state women’s rights body since her resignation in January.
The DCW members criticized Maliwal for using the struggles of over 700 women for personal gain.
“Over 700 women who have been employed in the Commission and various grant programs across the city have been left without any salary since November 2023, but you have made the struggle of these women only about yourself and have made statements that the attack on DCW started after your resignation,” read the letter.
In her letter to CM Kejriwal, Maliwal claimed that the government has destroyed the system she built since 2015. She noted that the seat of the DCW chief has been lying vacant since she was nominated to
Rajya Sabha
by the
Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP).
“I am writing this letter to bring attention to how the Delhi Government has been systematically dismantling the DCW since my resignation from the position of chairperson in January 2024. It is deeply regrettable that the systems that I painstakingly built since 2015 are being destroyed by the Government,” Maliwal said. She further added, “As the Chief Minister of a city infamous as the ‘Rape Capital of the World,’ it is crucial to safeguard systems that protect women and girls.”
Maliwal also criticized the closure of the 181 women helpline, calling it “appalling,” and emphasized that survivors of rape and other crimes have been left without crucial assistance for the past 48 hours.
She also alleged that funding to the commission had been halted, severely affecting its operations.
“The deprivation of funds over the past six months has severely handicapped the commission… the dedicated women staff members of the commission, many of whom are survivors of acid attacks and sexual assault, have not received their rightful salaries since November 2023,” Maliwal further said.
