AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal alleges assault by Delhi CM’s aide

Samad Hoque

New Delhi, May 13

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP and former chief of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Swati Maliwal on Monday alleged assault by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s close aide Bibhav Kumar.

‘Incident shocks conscience of all’

This incident shocks the conscience of every Delhiite, and the BJP stands with every woman who becomes a victim of any kind of violence. If Kejriwal can’t ensure the safety of his own party workers, how can he speak about women’s safety in Delhi? Bansuri Swaraj, BJP’s New Delhi candidate

The police received a PCR call at 9.34 am from a woman who said she had been assaulted at the Delhi CM’s residence. Following the call, the Delhi Police reached the Chief Minister’s residence in Civil Lines. The SHO met Maliwal there and she told him she would soon be going to the police station. “Later, the MP came to the police station. However, she left stating she will give complaint later,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) MK Meena said.

Kumar was recently dismissed from his position as Kejriwal’s personal assistant by the Delhi Vigilance Department, citing his “illegal appointment”. He was sacked in connection to a 2007 case against him for “assault and use of criminal force to obstruct a public servant from doing his duty”.

BJP candidate for New Delhi Bansuri Swaraj said raising a hand on a woman and misbehaving with her was quite embarrassing, and it was extremely sad that such an incident happened at an official residence.

She said, “Disregarding political ideology, the BJP demands clarification from Kejriwal on this matter.”

“This incident shocks the conscience of every Delhiite, and the BJP, transcending political differences and ideology, stands with every woman who becomes a victim of any kind of violence. It is shocking… the allegations are extremely serious… the allegations are that in the presence of Kejriwal, in fact at his behest, his close aide physically assaulted Maliwal, who is a woman worker of AAP. If the AAP cannot protect its own MP, if party convener Kejriwal cannot ensure the safety of his own party workers, then how can he actually speak about women’s safety in Delhi?” Swaraj said.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) posted on X, stating, “The NCW vows action, demanding justice from Delhi Police and sending an inquiry team. Perpetrators must be held accountable. The NCW will be sending a formal letter to Delhi Police to send an action taken report (ATR) in this matter in three days.”

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva demanded an investigation into the matter. “If such a thing happens to any woman, she should get justice,” he told mediapersons.

Sachdeva highlighted the alleged pattern of misconduct, citing instances involving prominent women figures associated with Kejriwal, stating, “Many prominent women like his former NGO companion Kiran Bedi, Shazia Ilmi and Richa Pandey have distanced themselves from him due to his anti-women politics.”