Swati Maliwal case: No DCW staff salary paid for 6 months, budget reduced 28.5%, says MP

Former Delhi Commission For Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal, who had recently accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s close aide Bibhav Kumar of assaulting her at the chief minister’s residence, has claimed that the AAP government is turning DCW into a “weak institution”. 

Maliwal, who resigned from the post of DCW chief upon her nomination to the Rajya Sabha from AAP, wrote a letter to CM Kejriwal. She has alleged that the staff salary of the panel has not been paid for 6 months, and that the panel’s budget has been reduced by 28.5 per cent. 

“DCW employees have not received salaries for 6 months. This staff includes acid attack and rape survivors. Today the commission does not even have enough money to buy paper and stationery. The commission's budget was reduced by 28%. No appointment to the post of president for 6 months. The posts of 2 members including a Dalit member have been vacant for one and a half years. DCW’s most promising 181 helpline has shut down. I appeal to the Delhi government to stop trying to shut down DCW which is doing important work for women's safety,”  she said in Hindi, surmising her letter to the CM. 

In a post sharing her letter to the CM, Maliwal said that the AAP ministers and officers have opened a front against the commission. No work has been done to fill the roles of the Chairperson and two members that have been vacant. 

“As soon as I left, every possible effort is being made to make the Women's Commission a weak institution again. Why is the Delhi government taking out its enmity on women?” asked Maliwal. 

Meanwhile Delhi Women and Child Development minister Kailash Gahlot said on Monday that the women helpline would now be run by his department. The number will remain inoperative for a few days for transition, he alerted.

Maliwal had, last month, written to INDIA bloc members too, including NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray to discuss the alleged assault  by Bibhav Kumar. 

She accused the party of alienating her after she filed the complaint against Kumar. “Regrettably, instead of finding support, I was confronted with incessant attacks on my character and victim shaming orchestrated by the leaders and volunteers of my own party,” she said, adding that a smear campaign was organised in electronic and social media to undermine her reputation, character, and credibility.