Police questions scribes in rape victim's identity revealing

Several journalists covering the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) today claimed they were questioned by the Delhi Police in connection with a case, against the women body's chief, of revealing identity of a rape victim.

The journalists said they were questioned over telephone, both DCW and police remain tight-lipped over the issue.

They claimed they have been recieving calls from police since yesterday.

Last week, an FIR was registered against DCW chief Swati Maliwal for allegedly revealing the name of a 14-year-old Dalit girl, who died after being raped repeatedly and forced to drink acid, in a notice to police.
 

Her name was also revealed in a press release issued to the journalists.

However, minutes later an apology was sent for "mistakingly" revealing the name and urging journalists to not use it.

"I received a call yesterday from North Delhi police asking whether I had received the release and used it, whether it had name of the victim mentioned or not and other such things," said a woman journalist working with a Hindi daily.

Another journalist, working with a TV channel, said "The police asked me how active I am on the Whatsapp group for media updates of DCW? What kind of a question is that? Now being member of a Whatsapp group is also a fault".

"We get so many press releases, I had seen this one but since I had got an updated one with correction a few minutes later, I did not use it for my report. That is too basic, why should we be questioned by police over it? This is harassment," said another TV journalist.

Maliwal, who was severely critical of police for not taking action against the rape accused, has been booked for naming the girl in a DCW notice to the Station House Officer (SHO) of Burari Police station. The FIR has been registered on a complaint of the SHO.

The girl, who was allegedly kidnapped, raped and forced to drink corrosive material, died last week after battling for life for over a month.

Maliwal had dismissed the charge, saying she had not released the victim's name and that she was not scared of the FIR.