Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal, who was on an indefinite hunger protesting against rapes and demanding stricter laws against the culprits, broke her fast after nine days after President Ram Nath Kovind approved the ordinance to award death penalty to those convicted of raping girls below 12 years.
In her protest, Swati could be seen sitting with theatre actor Arvind Gaur and one of the core members of India Against Corruption (IAC) headed by Anna Hazare. Arvind Gaur is also accused of sexual harassment by actor Shilpi Marwaha, who acted in the film Raanjhanaa, which also starred Bollywood ‘woke’ actresses Sonam Kapoor and Swara Bhaskar. Raanjhanaa is the same film where Shilpi Marwaha’s co-star Swara Bhasker, who was reduced to a vagina after watching Padmaavat, justified stalking, another crime many women face on regular basis, as ‘unapologetic celebration of crazy love’.
In May 2017, 27-year-old Shilpi broke her association with the theatre group founded by Arvind Gaur alleging he made ‘advances’ towards her. While Gaur had denied the allegations, other members of the group, who left it with Marwaha, say that the accusations were true. She claims that after she refused her advances, he said, ‘Yeh toh normal cheez hai, ismein galat kya hai?’
The irony that Swati Maliwal, then chose to stand by someone accused of sexual harassment while she breaks her fast as a protest against rapes is lost on Delhi Commission for Women chief.