Police files FIR on alleged assault of Swati Maliwal
New Delhi: An FIR was lodged by the Delhi Police on Thursday, following allegations of assault on AAP MP Swati Maliwal. The accused is Bibhav Kumar, personal assistant to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He has also been summoned by the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Friday over the matter.
The FIR was filed after a two-member police team, led by Additional Commissioner of Police P S Kushwaha, recorded Maliwal’s statement at her Central Delhi residence for nearly four and a half hours.
The FIR includes charges under IPC sections related to violence against women. This follows Maliwal’s visit to the Civil Lines police station, where she claimed that a member of Kejriwal’s staff “assaulted” her at the CM’s residence.
In a post on X after the police visit, Maliwal confirmed she had recorded her statement and urged the BJP to avoid politicising the incident. “Hope appropriate action is taken. Whatever happened with me was extremely bad,” she said.
She added: “The past days have been very difficult for me. I thank those who prayed. Those who tried to indulge in character assassination, said that I was doing it at the behest of the other party, God bless them too.”
Sources revealed that Maliwal named Kumar as the “main person” who allegedly assaulted her when she had gone to meet Kejriwal on Monday.
In a Delhi press conference, AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh admitted that Kumar had “misbehaved” with Maliwal. Yadav, addressing the issue, suggested there were more important matters and accused the BJP of filing false cases.
BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia accused Kejriwal of being complicit in the assault, citing a phone call Maliwal made to the police. “His silence speaks a lot. Out of jail, he is more a ‘goonda’ than a chief minister,” Bhatia said, calling for stringent action against Kumar. The NCW summoned Kumar after taking suo moto cognisance of a media post where Maliwal alleged assault by Kumar at the CM’s residence. The commission warned of further action if Kumar did not comply.
Reacting to the incident, the Congress called for strict action against the person involved in the alleged assault. Congress spokesperson Ragini Nayak emphasised that crimes against women must be addressed regardless of political affiliation.
The Delhi BJP’s Mahila Morcha expressed support for Maliwal, with its president Richa Pandey Mishra, a former AAP leader, urging Maliwal to ensure strict action through the police.
