In a startling revelation on Monday, Swati Maliwal, a prominent figure within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and former chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), accused Bibhav Kumar, a close aide to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, of assaulting her. Maliwal alleged that the assault was carried out on the orders of the Chief Minister himself.
The incident, which occurred at the Chief Minister’s residence, prompted Maliwal to make two distress calls to the Police Control Room (PCR). The first call was placed at approximately 9:34 am. Maliwal subsequently visited the police station and indicated her intention to file a formal complaint regarding the incident.
According to the police register entry, Maliwal stated during her visit to the station that she was at the CM’s residence and alleged that his personal assistant had been instructed to attack her.
Bibhav Kumar had recently been in the spotlight following his dismissal from the position of Kejriwal’s personal secretary by the Delhi Vigilance Department due to an “illegal appointment.” His dismissal was linked to a 2007 case involving charges of assault and obstruction of a public servant’s duty. Additionally, Kumar had been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Delhi excise policy case earlier in February.
The allegation made by Maliwal has sparked a flurry of reactions from politicians across party lines. Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekar criticized the AAP, citing previous instances of alleged assaults on women MPs associated with the party. He referenced an earlier incident involving the assault of a Chief Secretary IAS officer by Kejriwal.
Amit Malviya, head of the BJP’s IT cell, highlighted Maliwal’s silence during Kejriwal’s previous arrest and questioned her absence from India at the time. BJP leaders, including ex-Delhi president Vijender Gupta and Kapil Mishra, called for clarifications from AAP regarding the alleged assault, with Mishra expressing hope that the reports were false.
The AAP leadership is yet to officially respond to the allegations, leaving the matter open to further scrutiny and speculation.
