‘Slapped, kicked in chest, stomach’: Maliwal recounts horror in FIR against Kejriwal aide
“My situation is exacerbated by the fact that having worked all my life for women issues and having helped lacs of women get justice, I ended up being brutally beaten by a person whom I knew since long,” she said
AAP MP Swati Maliwal has given a harrowing account of her ordeal in the FIR lodged against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar whom she has accused of assaulting her.
In her complaint, Maliwal has levelled serious charges against Kumar, claiming that she was assaulted by him on Monday morning in the drawing room of Kejriwal’s official residence with the chief minister present in the house at the time.
‘No provocation’
She accused Kumar of slapping her 7-8 times on the face and hitting her chest, stomach, and sensitive parts. “Bibhav came and started abusing and kept slapping without provocation," she claimed in her complaint. “I made noise and said ‘Let me go’, but he kept beating me continuously and abusing me in Hindi. He threatened, ‘We will see, we will deal with it’. I informed him that I was menstruating and in considerable pain, begging him to leave me alone.”
“I felt absolutely shocked and was screaming for help over and over again. In order to protect myself, I pushed him away with my legs. At that time, he pounced on me, brutally dragged and deliberately pulled my shirt up,” the FIR reads. “After that, Bibhav Kumar did not relent and attacked me by kicking me in my chest, stomach and pelvis area with his legs. I was in extreme pain and kept pleading him to stop.”
Maliwal somehow managed to run out of the house and call the police, she added. “I was in a terrible state of shock at this attack. I was deeply traumatised and called the 112 number and reported the incident,” she stated in the FIR.
“My situation is exacerbated by the fact that having worked all my life for women issues and having helped lacs of women get justice, I ended up being brutally beaten by a person whom I knew since long. I am deeply disturbed by this incident…..I feel totally shattered , it has taken me 3 days to gather myself and report the matter…,” she said in the FIR.
No heat on Kejriwal
However, Maliwal has desisted from directly accusing Kejriwal of any wrongdoing in her complaint but noted his presence at the residence during the incident. Following the police team’s visit to her residence, Maliwal posted on social media about the disturbing experience and appealed against politicising the issue.
“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 I was doing it on the instructions of a party, may God keep them happy too. An important election is underway in the country. Swati Maliwal is not important, the issues of the country are important. There is a special request to the BJP to not do politics on this incident,” Maliwal posted last night.
Police hunt for Kumar
Meanwhile, the Delhi police last night escorted Maliwal to the AIIMS Trauma Centre for a medical check-up. The police could not find Kumar at his residence in Chandrawal Nagar area when a team visited it. Teams from the Crime Branch and Special Cell are actively searching for Kumar so as to bring him into custody.
The police registered the FIR at 8.50 pm last night under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, criminal intimidation, insulting modesty, and assault. The FIR was filed after Maliwal's statement was recorded by a police team led by Additional Commissioner PS Kushwaha.
Taking suo moto cognisance of Maliwal's allegations, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has also summoned Kumar for a hearing on Friday.
Political row
The incident has kicked up a political storm, as the BJP launched a scathing attack on Kejriwal for his silence. BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia termed Kejriwal the “main criminal” due to his apparent inaction during the assault.
Kejriwal evaded media queries regarding the incident during a press conference in Lucknow on Thursday, where he appeared alongside Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and AAP MP Sanjay Singh. Though Singh acknowledged Kumar’s misconduct, he deflected criticism towards the BJP, seeking accountability for various women's issues under their governance.
The Congress, allied with AAP in the Opposition INDIA bloc for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, echoed similar calls.
