In an aggressive letter to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Swati Maliwal, an AAP Rajya Sabha MP and former head of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), says the Delhi government is plotting to remove the structures she had created during her eight years of leadership.
Demanding that the Delhi government surrender and restore the commission’s funding, Maliwal said that since her resignation in January 2024, the AAP government has been gradually dismantling the commission’s functioning, endangering women and children in the capital.
Among the issues mentioned by Maliwal is that the Delhi government decided to close the 181 helpline of the DCW for women and survivors of abuse. She claims this has been missing for over 48 hours, so vulnerable users cannot get the necessary support.
The former DCW chief also expressed anger at the ₹10 crore slashed annual budget and the stoppage of funds for six months. She said this has challenged the commission operationally, especially when contractual staff has been dismissed.
Maliwal also said the commission is facing problems as leadership positions, such as the chairperson, are occupied, thus blocking the establishment’s functionality. She also expressed her worry that the provision of mandatory Dalit members in the commission is still missing in the process.
“The last 8 years of my team and I have ingeniously constructed the commission from the ground up, and therefore, it’s the most efficient women’s commission in India,” Maliwal mentioned in a letter.
Appealing to the Chief Minister to act, Maliwal pointed out how essential it was to save all women and girls’ protection systems, especially in a city that is globally known as the ‘Rape Capital of the World.
The Delhi government’s claims of “malicious deconstruction” of the DCW have raised concerns among specific stakeholders in the subject area, though providing necessary frameworks to ensure a more promising future for the vulnerable groups in Delhi is called for.
