Arvind Kejriwal’s associate, Bibhav Kumar, found himself under arrest on Saturday concerning the alleged assault on AAP MP Swati Maliwal. The party, however, contends that Maliwal is being coerced by the BJP due to her entanglement in a corruption case. Kumar was apprehended by a Delhi Police contingent at the chief minister’s abode, as confirmed by a senior officer, following Maliwal’s testimony before a magistrate at the Tis Hazari court a day prior.
Maliwal asserts that Kumar, in the full vigor of his actions, struck her forcefully by slapping her visage and delivering blows to her chest and abdomen on May 13 during her visit to the chief minister. Another senior officer affirmed Kumar’s arrest at the chief minister’s residence on Saturday, stating that he had sought an audience with Kejriwal earlier that morning.
“The subject shall be presented before the court, and authorities shall solicit his custody for further inquiry,” the aforementioned officer relayed. At least ten individuals, inclusive of security personnel and other household staff present during the purported assault on May 13, have provided statements, as per police reports.
Meanwhile, the BJP accuses the AAP of indulging in victim-blaming and victim-shaming in its overt defense of Arvind Kejriwal’s aide, Bibhav Kumar, in the Swati Maliwal assault affair. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleges that Kejriwal endeavors to shield Kumar, as the latter holds potentially incriminating information about the chief minister.
In a pointed critique of the party, Poonawalla asserted to the press that AAP fundamentally embodies an “anti-women party,” citing previous allegations of female mistreatment involving its leadership. With AAP insinuating that Maliwal acts at the BJP’s behest, Poonawalla referenced another AAP figure, Vandana Singh of the Delhi Commission for Women, who supported the Rajya Sabha MP, to censure the party.
In earlier correspondence with law enforcement, Bibhav Kumar expressed readiness to cooperate with the investigation, while urging authorities to consider his counter-allegations against Maliwal. On Friday, Kumar lodged a police complaint, alleging Maliwal’s unauthorized entry and disruptive behavior at the CM’s residence on May 13. The aide further claimed that when he intervened, she verbally abused him.
Senior AAP figure Atishi convened a press briefing, asserting that if the Delhi Police remains impartial, it should entertain Kumar’s complaint as well. In conversation with PTI Videos, Atishi maintained that the former DCW chief faces imminent arrest in an illegal recruitment case and has been “pressured” by the BJP to partake in a “conspiracy” against Kejriwal.
Atishi, who concurrently serves as a cabinet minister in the Delhi government, insinuated that Maliwal’s unannounced visit to the chief minister’s official residence on Monday raised questions. “Why did she intrude? Why did she arrive at the chief minister’s abode sans prior notice? Arvind Kejriwal was occupied that day and did not meet her. Had he met her, the accusations against Bibhav Kumar might have been directed at him,” Atishi mused.
She alleged that Maliwal became the scapegoat of the BJP’s machinations. “The BJP follows a pattern. They initiate legal proceedings and then dangle the threat of imprisonment over leaders. Swati Maliwal faces accusations in an illegal recruitment case filed by the Anti-Corruption Branch. An FIR has been lodged, and she is on the brink of arrest.”
“The BJP coerced Maliwal into becoming the face of this scheme,” the AAP luminary charged. Meanwhile, another purported footage of Maliwal from the day of the incident surfaced online. The video depicts a female security personnel restraining Maliwal by the arm as they exit Kejriwal’s residence. Upon exiting the premises, Maliwal disengages from the security personnel’s grip.
Maliwal underwent a medical examination at AIIMS on Friday. The medico-legal certificate indicates “bruising on the proximal left leg’s dorsal aspect, approximately 3×2 cm in size, and beneath the right eye’s elbow, approximately 2×2 cm in size.” Conversely, the BJP accuses AAP leaders of tarnishing Maliwal’s reputation by circulating “altered” videos.
Maliwal, in turn, criticized her own party for dismissing her assault allegations against Bibhav Kumar as unfounded, lamenting that the AAP succumbed to “bullying” and now questions her integrity. The AAP, Maliwal remarked, made a sudden reversal two days after acknowledging Kumar’s “misconduct” towards her.