Swati Maliwal, AAP Rajya Sabha MP, who alleged that Kejriwal’s personal secretary assaulted her, is confirmed to have suffered internal injuries to her face, as per a medical report presented by AIIMS, Delhi, on Friday.
On Monday, Maliwal called the police, complaining that Bibhav Kumar, Kejriwal’s PA, had assaulted her and attacked her on the face multiple times, which led to both internal and external physical injuries. Following this, the Delhi police team took Maliwal to AIIMS for a CT scan and X-ray report.
Maliwal told that Bibhav Kumar, the personal secretary of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, reportedly yelled at Swati Maliwal without any apparent reason before allegedly slapping the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lawmaker seven to eight times and kicking her in her chest, stomach, and pelvis, as stated in the first information report (FIR) filed regarding the assault incident.
Meanwhile, the Delhi police tried to reach Bibhav Kumar but failed to do so. They went to his residence, but he was not found there. Around ten police teams are working to locate Bibhav Kumar at different locations, as given by sources. The police have also gathered CCTV footage from his and Arvind Kejriwal’s house, which they will investigate further. Statements from workers have been taken.
मेरे साथ जो हुआ वो बहुत बुरा था। मेरे साथ हुई घटना पर मैंने पुलिस को अपना स्टेटमेंट दिया है। मुझे आशा है कि उचित कार्यवाही होगी। पिछले दिन मेरे लिए बहुत कठिन रहे हैं। जिन लोगों ने प्रार्थना की उनका धन्यवाद करती हूँ। जिन लोगों ने Character Assassination करने की कोशिश की, ये बोला…
— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) May 16, 2024
Sanjay Singh, the AAP leader, also supported Swati Maliwal and gave his statement to the Delhi police, saying that on Monday, Bibhav Kumar misbehaved with her while she was waiting to meet the CM to make a complaint about it. Later, the Delhi police also confirmed that they had received two calls from the CM’s residence within the given time frame, which further supports Swati’s statement. The National Commission for Women is working on this case and has summoned Bibhav Kumar.
Remarkably, on Tuesday, Mr. Singh described the incident as “shameful” and stated that Arvind Kejriwal had “taken cognizance and demanded the strictest possible action” against his aide. He condemned the “political games” and affirmed the party’s support for Ms. Maliwal, referring to her as “one of AAP’s oldest and most senior leaders.”
BJP taking this case as opportunity launched attacks on AAP and Kejriwal. BJP accused Kejriwal of protecting his aides; this accusation was fueled by Kejriwal’s action of ignoring reporters’ questions. BJP party leader Virendra Sachdeva said, “Why were they silent for 36 hours? Where was the Chief Minister? A Rajya Sabha MP… a woman… was misbehaved with at Mr. Kejriwal’s home, and you are taking cognizance only now.” Another BJP leader said, “If Swati Maliwal has been treated like this, it is condemnable and shameful. Those who talk about guarantees cannot guarantee women’s safety in their own homes. This raises questions about the administration.”
Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for not speaking on the issue and “shamelessly” moving with the accused Bibhav Kumar.
Swati Maliwal has issued a public statement on social media platform X, saying, “What happened to me was extremely bad. I have given my statement to the police on the incident that happened to me. I hope appropriate action will be taken. The past few days have been very difficult for me. I thank those who prayed for me. Those who tried to do character assassination, saying I was doing it at the behest of the other party, God bless them too.”
She also made another post in which she said, “Important elections are 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 not to do politics on this incident.”
