The Delhi Police on Saturday arrested Bibhav Kumar, manager and former personal secretary of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the alleged assault of AAP Rajya Sabha Member Swati Maliwal.
Mr Kumar was picked up from the chief minister’s residence by a Delhi Police team around noon, a senior police officer said. He has been taken to the police station for interrogation. following a complaint by Swati Maliwal. Bibhav Kumar’s lawyers said that they have not received any information yet from the police, despite sending an email to the authorities assuring full cooperation.
In her complaint, Swati Maliwal alleged that Bibhav Kumar physically abused her 7–8 times when she went to the chief minister’s residence on May 13. “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.
On Friday, the Delhi Police took Swati Maliwal to Arvind Kejriwal’s residence to recreate the crime scene. Her statement was also recorded before a magistrate at the Tis Hazari court. The incident has triggered a political storm. The BJP has heavily criticised Mr Kejriwal for his silence, with its spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia even going as far as labelling Mr Kejriwal the “main criminal” due to his apparent inaction during the assault.
A video from the Delhi Chief Minister’s house of the alleged assault incident is also doing rounds on social media in which an altercation can be seen taking place between the staff deployed in the CM’s residence and the AAP Rajya Sabha MP.
Meanwhile, Bibhav Kumar has filed a counter-complaint with the Civil Lines police station, alleging that Maliwal had “forcefully and unauthorisedly” entered the chief minister’s residence. He also claimed that the former Delhi Commission for Women chairperson tried to “create a ruckus and assaulted” him. Kejriwal’s manager also claimed that the Swati Maliwal intended to harm the AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and he strongly resisted her.
As part of their investigation, Delhi Police is likely to scan the CCTV cameras at the Chief Minister’s residence. On Friday, the crime scene was also re-created at Mr Kejriwal’s home after the former DCW chief lodged the FIR.
Anticipatory Bail Plea of Bibhav Kumar Rejected
The anticipatory bail plea of Bibhav Kumar has become infructuous as he has been arrested, a Delhi court observed on Saturday. “Since, the applicant (Bibhav Kumar) has already been arrested, the present application is disposed of being infructuous,” the court said.
Who is Swati Maliwal?
Swati Maliwal born on 15 October, 1984 is a social activist and politician. She currently serves as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha representing Delhi. She participated in the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement led by social activist Anna Hazare and later, served as the chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) from 2015 to 2024.
After her education, Maliwal joined a Non-governmental organization named “Parivartan” which was founded by Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia among others. She worked in grass-roots campaigns across India, as a part of the organization. In 2011, Maliwal was one of the committee that organized the India Against Corruption movement led by activist Anna Hazare, which later led to the passage of the Jan Lokpal Bill.
Tenure as DCW chairperson
Swati Maliwal was appointed as the chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) in July 2015. She was one of the youngest to lead the women’s commission. Maliwal advocated for the passage of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which allowed minors from the ages of 16-18 years, to be tried as adults in case of heinous crimes. During her tenure as the chairperson of DCW, Maliwal demanded greater accountability of Delhi police, which resulted in putting the commission in loggerheads with the police department.
During Swati Maliwal’s tenure, the commission handled more than 1.7 lakh cases of domestic violence, rape and other crimes against women. During her tenure, over 50,000 Mahila Panchayats were organized which served as community meetings for dispute resolution. Crisis Intervention Centre (CIC) and Rape Crisis Cell (RCC) were established, which provided medical attention, legal support and counseling to rape survivors. During her tenure, the DCW also addressed child trafficking and acid attack cases, which led to passage of new laws regulating working of spas, rehabilitation and free treatment for acid attack victims and the ban of retail sale of acid. In January 2024, she was elected as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha representing Delhi. The source of information is Wikipedia.
