She is like Malala Yousafzai

PTI7_29_2019_000139B Swati Maliwal

I am in Lucknow. I know this is not in my jurisdiction. I am here as a woman, as an Indian reaching out to a fellow Indian. On July 28, I sat down to watch the news, and was so moved when I heard this girl’s condition that I decided I had to go to Lucknow, to be by her side.

Her family is at their wits’ end. They are poor. Whatever money they have has gone into the legal battle. They have lost so many family members. Her uncle is thrown in jail. Her mother says they kept saying Kuldeep Singh Sengar was threatening them, but no one heeded them.

Imagine what this girl must have gone through. She must have blamed herself for all these tragedies. Yet, she is a girl of grit. She withstood all the pressures, and continued her fight for justice. She is like Malala Yousafzai.

The face of the state government is so ugly. The administration is just hoping that this phase will pass. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has blood on his hands. For all their talk of pro-women policies, the BJP has failed miserably. It has only suspended the membership of the accused, whereas he should have been kicked out of the party long ago.

Sengar continues to be a lawmaker. What is the message that is going out? Top police officers kept insisting [the crash] was just an accident, without even inquiring.

There is complete lack of empathy for her. No one of consequence has visited, except for Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma, who finally visited on July 30. He gave no assurance except that the treatment would be free.

Her security needs to be strengthened, as Sengar is still an MLA. Also, his party should remove him immediately.

As told to Rekha Dixit.

Maliwal is chairperson, Delhi Commission for Women

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