Kanjhawala Case: Stop Victim Shaming, Says DCW Chief After Hotel Owner's Remarks On Woman Being Drunk

Kanjhawala case: DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal has slammed the hotel for allegedly victim shaming the woman who was killed on Monday after being dragged for nearly 12 km on Delhi streets under a car.

Chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Swati Maliwal has lashed out at the authorities of the hotel where Anjali, the 23-year-old who was killed on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday in Kanjhawala, attended a party. Accusing the hotel owner of hiding facts, Swati Maliwal sought proof of Anjali's intoxication, as claimed by the former. 

Anjali was killed after being dragged for nearly 12 km — from Delhi's Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala — under a car.

At 1:31 am on January 1, both the victim and a friend were seen coming out of a hotel after attending a New Year’s party. Some media houses on Tuesday quoted the hotel manager as saying that the women were drunk and were fighting.

Reacting to the statement, Swati Maliwal said: "Shameful statements of the hotel manager are being aired on TV since morning. They are saying that the women were drunk and were fighting which is why they were thrown out. If the women were fighting after being intoxicated then the police should have been called. Why were they kicked out of the hotel late at night? Where is the proof of the women being intoxicated? STOP VICTIM SHAMING!"

Meanwhile, the DCW called for the creation of a high-level committee to address crimes against women in the capital, following the Kanjhawala case. Swati Maliwal on Tuesday wrote to Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, proposing that the panel be chaired by the Union Home Minister and include the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, Chief Minister, and the Police Commissioner.

The committee, which would meet once a month, would work to develop a coordinated strategy for tackling crimes against women and girls in Delhi.

Maliwal noted that Delhi continues to see an average of six rapes per day, and cited a lack of police resources and accountability as major factors contributing to the high rate of crimes against women and girls in the city. She called for increased accountability and sensitivity among Delhi Police officers, as well as an increase in human and female police staff resources. Additionally, she recommended strengthening the PCR unit of Delhi Police to better handle emergency situations.