Kejriwal slams Centre on women safety, says crime rose multifold
On the 12th anniversary of the Nirbhaya case, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal organised a Mahila Adaalat at Thyagaraj Stadium in Delhi on Monday where he said after 12 years, crimes against women have only increased exponentially.
He accused the BJP-led Central Government and Amit Shah of failing to prioritise women’s safety.
Kejriwal said, “Today marks 12 years since the Nirbhaya incident. Twelve years ago, our younger sister, Nirbhaya, was brutally gang-raped, and the entire nation took to the streets demanding change. But here we are, 12 years later, and crimes against women have only increased exponentially.”
Among other attendees included Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav.
BJP Mahila Morcha holds protest
The BJP Mahila Morcha, led by MPs Kamaljeet Sehrawat and Bansuri Swaraj, protested outside Arvind Kejriwal’s residence, criticising the inclusion of Akhilesh Yadav and Bibhav Kumar in AAP’s Mahila Adalat programme. They accused Kejriwal of hypocrisy, citing his alleged failure to address misogyny within his party and Delhi’s lack of a Women’s Commission chairperson. Sehrawat condemned Kejriwal for promoting alcohol policies harming families and demanded an apology from Yadav for his father’s past remarks.
Many women from across the city shared their experiences of violence and harassment in front of the crowd.
“The Central Government’s data reveals that Delhi witnesses three to four rapes every day. But for Amit Shah, law and order is not an issue. Women’s safety is simply not on their agenda,” the former Delhi CM claimed.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police recently released a data showing crimes against women decreased in the national capital this year. It said that rape cases dipped by 10.36 per cent from last year (2141 in 2023 to 1919 in 2024). Similarly it said molestation cases against women also decreased from 2,345 cases in 2023 to 1,897 cases this year.
Kejriwal compared his government’s achievements to the Centre’s alleged negligence, citing initiatives like the installation of three lakh CCTV cameras, deployment of bus marshals, and the provision of streetlights across Delhi. “But what can I do if the police don’t act on CCTV footage? That is Amit Shah’s responsibility,” he remarked.
He further urged Amit Shah to step aside if he couldn’t manage Delhi’s law and order. “If you admit you cannot handle it, my 12.5 million sisters in Delhi will take charge. They will not tolerate negligence,” Kejriwal added.
The AAP chief also said that according to a recent survey, “It showed that 60 percent of women are set to vote for us. To the remaining 40 percent, I say: if there’s any shortfall in my service, I will work harder to win your trust,” he said.
He also hit out at the Delhi BJP over their recent outreach campaigns in jhuggi clusters in the National Capital, he called it a ‘mere election stunt’ to deceive the residents before polls.
Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav who also addressed the gathering, assured support to the AAP.
