Delhi Police file FIR after AAP MP Swati Maliwal’s statement on alleged assault by Delhi CM PA
New Delhi: A first information report has been registered by the Delhi police in the matter of Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP and former Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal’s accusations that at his residence, Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal’s personal secretary, Bibhav Kumar, allegedly “slapped her multiple times”.
The FIR for the incident which took place on the morning of May 13, Monday, was registered under sections 354, 506, 509, and 323 of the IPC, which deal with assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty and criminal intimidation, as per news agencies. Maliwal is reported to have gone to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, last night for a medical checkup.
A two-member police team, led by Additional Commissioner of Police P. S. Kushwaha, recorded Swati Maliwal’s statement at 1.50 pm on May 16, Thursday. The FIR records on the basis of her statement that she was hit by Bibhav Kumar allegedly “on the stomach, slapped and kicked.”
Maliwal broke her silence on social media at night after the FIR was filed, by saying, “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.”
She added, “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.”
The circumstances of the alleged assault on Maliwal at the chief minister’s residence on the morning that Maliwal was there to meet Kejriwal after he secured bail and left jail, are not clear. At the joint press conference with Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow, Kejriwal refused to answer a question on the incident that was posed to him.
As the microphone was handed to AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, who had visited Maliwal after the incident along with Vandana Singh from the DCW, he said, “The wife of a Kargil hero was paraded naked in Manipur and the prime minister remained silent. Prajwal Revanna assaulted and raped several women and PM Modi asked for votes for him. And the government helped him to flee. When women wrestlers were protesting, this Swati Maliwal went to meet them at night and police beat her up. We have seen PM Modi’s silence on Hathras, Kuldeep Sengar.”
Sanjay Singh added, “Aam Aadmi Party is a family. The party has already clarified its stand on this issue. I want the BJP to answer on all these issues, including when Swati Maliwal was beaten up by the police. They should not do politics over this.”
The BJP women’s wing has been holding demonstrations outside Maliwal’s house for over two days now and has called upon Kejriwal to speak on this and that action be taken against the alleged assailant. Bibhav Kumar accompanying Kejriwal to Lucknow for the UP meetings invited criticism from analysts about why he was still with the Delhi chief minister.
Earlier, AAP had confirmed that an incident had taken place and Kumar had “misbehaved” with Maliwal. The party had said “CM has taken note of the incident and has asked for strict action.”
