The Delhi Police said on Thursday that an FIR has been registered on the complaint of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal, in which the latter has alleged she was “slapped, hit on stomach and kicked” by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s personal secretary, Bibhav Kumar.
According to the police FIR, Swati Maliwal in her complaint mentioned that she was slapped, hit on stomach, attacked and kicked by Bibhav Kumar at the Chief Minister’s residence.
The Delhi police filed an FIR in connection with the alleged assault earlier in the day naming Delhi CM’s personal secretary, Bibhav Kumar.
The FIR has been registered under sections 354, 506, 509, and 323 of the IPC, among other sections, for offences including assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, criminal intimidation, word gesture or acts of intent to insult and assault.
After lodging the complaint with the Delhi police, Swati Maliwal, in a post on X, requested the Bharatiya Janata Party to not do politics over the incident.
Calling the incident “very bad”, Maliwal said that she gave her statement in this regard to the police.
“What happened to me was very bad. I have given my statement to the police on the incident that happened to me. I hope that appropriate action will be taken. The last few days have been very difficult for me. I thank those who prayed for me. Those who tried to do character assassination, said that she was doing it on the instructions of the other party, may God keep them happy too,” the former DCW chief said in a post on Thursday after lodging a complaint with the Delhi police.
She further asserted that the issues of the country are important and not “Swati Maliwal” highlighting the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
“An important election is going on in the country, Swati Maliwal is not important, the issues of the country are important. There is a special request to BJP people to not do politics on this incident,” she added.
Earlier in the day, the National Commission for Women (NCW) summoned Bibhav Kumar to appear on May 17 in connection with the alleged assault.
“The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo moto cognizance of a media post captioned ‘DCW chief Swati Maliwal accuses Arvind Kejriwal’s personal secretary of assaulting her’. The post reported that Ms Swati Maliwal, RS MP and former DCW chief, has alleged that the Private Secretary of (the) Chief Minister of Delhi had brutally assaulted her at the Chief Minister’s residence,” read the notice issued by the NCW on Thursday.
“In view of the above, the Commission has scheduled a hearing in this matter on May 17, 2024, at 11 AM. All concerned parties are required to appear before the Commission in person,” it added.
The alleged assault on the former chairperson of the DCW triggered a major political slugfest between the BJP and the AAP, with the former accusing the CM of shielding his accused aide. All India Mahila Congress President Alka Lamba had said that Swati Maliwal is a strong woman who would come forward and take the legal route on the issue.
“In the case of Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, after the press conference of AAP leader Sanjay Singh ji, it has been confirmed that some unpleasant incident has happened with Swati Maliwal ji in the CM residence, and her party stands strongly with her. Swati Maliwal is a strong and aware woman, I am confident that she will come forward and take the legal route and fight for justice,” Alka Lamba said.
When reporters asked Kejriwal, during a joint press conference with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, about the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, the AAP supremo refused to answer any questions.
During the press conference when the issue was raised, Akhilesh Yadav brushed aside the question saying “There are other issues that are more important than this.”
It was then left to AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh to defend his party. The AAP MP accused the BJP of playing political games on the issue and alleged that the BJP had been behind Swati Maliwal being dragged and manhandled by Delhi police during the wrestlers’ protest at Jantar Mantar.
“Aam Aadmi Party is our family. The party has taken a clear stand on this issue…Can they answer the case of Swati Maliwal, when she went to fight for justice for women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar, they made the police drag and beat her up. Don’t play political games on this,” Singh said speaking to reporters.
The BJP accused the AAP of failing to act against Bibhav Kumar the PA to Arvind Kejriwal who was allegedly behind the assault on Maliwal. Sharing a picture of Bibhav with Arvind Kejriwal at the Lucknow airport the BJP questioned the AAP for not acting against him despite an assurance from party MP Sanjay Singh.
Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday weighed in on the alleged assault on Swati Maliwal saying that her party stood with women against any atrocity.
Speaking to ANI while on the campaign trail in Raebareli, Priyanka Gandhi said, “If any atrocity happens to any woman anywhere, we stand with the woman. I always stand with women – irrespective of which party they belong to. Secondly, AAP will discuss amid themselves and make a decision. It is up to them.”
