Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief, Swati Maliwal, who has been on a hunger strike for over 10 days to demand capital punishment for rapists within six months of their conviction, was taken to LNJP hospital in New Delhi, after she lost consciousness on morning of Sunday, 15 December.
Maliwal on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding immediate implementation of the Disha Bill in the entire country, which mandates disposal of cases of atrocities against women within 21 days and handing out the death penalty.
This was her second letter to PM Modi after she sat on the hunger strike on 3 December demanding capital punishment for rapists within six months of their conviction. Maliwal said that she will not end her fast till the Disha Bill is implemented in the entire country.
In the evening, her condition deteriorated and doctors and police suggested that she be moved to hospital but she refused to budge. According to a health bulletin, the uric acid in her blood had reached dangerous levels and could damage kidneys.
The doctors advised that she be shifted to a hospital, following which police got an ambulance but she refused to go to the hospital. The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed the bill on Friday.
The proposed new law has been named the Andhra Pradesh Disha Act Criminal Law (AP Amendment) Act, 2019, as a tribute to a veterinarian who was raped and murdered in Hyderabad early this month.
(This story has been edited for length and clarity.)
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