DCW chief Maliwal claims Manipur govt denied her permission to visit violence-hit state

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal alleged on Saturday, July 22, that the Manipur government has denied her permission to visit the state to interact with survivors of sexual violence.

Maliwal was supposed to visit the northeastern state, rocked by ethnic violence, on July 23.

On Friday, July 21, she wrote to the director general of police (DGP) of Manipur on her plans to visit the strife-torn state following the surfacing of a video that showed two women being paraded naked by members of a rival community.

Maliwal had earlier written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi too, urging him to take steps in the matter.

In her letter to the Manipur DGP, she said she plans to visit the state on July 23 to assess the situation there and submit a fact-finding report.

"After telling me I can come to Manipur, Government has taken a U-turn and suddenly denied permission to me. This is shocking and absurd. Why can't I meet survivors of sexual violence? I have already booked my tickets after discussing with them. Why try and stop me?" she said in a tweet, tagging Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and the state police.

Maliwal was scheduled to be in the state till July 30.