DCW chief Maliwal ends 10-day long hunger strike

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal has finally ended her indefinite hunger strike on Sunday.

Maliwal, who was demanding death penalty for rapists of children below the age of 12 years, said, "I was fighting alone but then I was supported by people across the country. I think this is a historical victory in independent India. I congratulate everyone on this victory."

She was sitting on a hunger strike for past ten days at Rajghat in New Delhi and broke her fast at 2:00 p.m. today.

On April 21, Maliwal announced that she made the decision to end her hunger strike after the Union cabinet approved an ordinance to award death sentence to rapists of children below 12 years of age.

"The hunger strike is ending, but our struggle for women safety will continue," Maliwal told reporters here.

Amid a nationwide outrage over cases of rape on girls and women in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua, in Gujarat's Surat and in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao, the Union cabinet approved a number of measures to strengthen the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the promulgation of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018, for effective deterrence against the commission of rape, thereby instilling a sense of security among women and especially young girls in the country.

Also in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maliwal listed out her six demands, which included the passage of the ordinance, recruitment of police personnel as per the United Nations standards and fixing accountability of the police force.

(ANI)