Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal broke her fast on Sunday, 22 April, after President Ram Nath Kovind signed an ordinance, promulgating a stringent punishment, including the death penalty, for those convicted of raping girls below 12 years.
Breaking her indefinite hunger strike with a glass of juice, Maliwal 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.
Maliwal had been on strike for the last ten days at Rajghat in New Delhi, where she was visited by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday. Kejriwal had reportedly urged her to end her fast, but she has said she will continue until all her demands were met.
Earlier, Maliwal had tweeted:
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maliwal had mentioned 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.
She had sought that files relating to the recruitment of 14,000 police personnel – approved by the Home Ministry but pending with the Finance Ministry – be cleared.
She had demanded setting up of fast-track courts across India to try rape cases, and the constitution of a high-level committee, comprising the home minister, the lieutenant governor and the Delhi chief minister, to review issues related to the safety of women in the national capital.
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