New Delhi: AAP Rajya Sabha Member Reflects on 12 Years Since Nirbhaya Case
AAP Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal, reflecting on the 12 years since the Nirbhaya case, expressed her dismay over current events. Maliwal highlighted the contrast between the past public outcry for justice and the present situation where efforts seem focused on protecting the accused responsible for tampering with evidence.
In a post on X, she stated, “There was a time when we all came out on the streets to get justice for Nirbhaya. Today, after 12 years, we are out on the streets to save the accused who made the CCTV footage disappear and formatted the phone?”
Maliwal further commented, “I wish they had used this much force for Manish Sisodia ji. If he had been here, maybe this bad thing wouldn’t have happened to me!”
On Saturday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s close aide, Bibhav Kumar, was arrested in connection with the assault on Maliwal. He was presented before a local court late at night and was remanded to five-day police custody.
Delhi Police requested Kumar’s custody, informing the court that the CCTV footage provided was blank. They also reported that Kumar handed over his mobile phone without disclosing the password and that the phone had been formatted the previous day due to a malfunction.
The police emphasized to the court that before a phone is formatted, its data should be cloned. Therefore, Kumar needed to be taken to Mumbai to retrieve the data, and his presence was necessary for an expert to unlock the phone.
Kumar faces charges of molestation and attempted culpable homicide following the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Maliwal at the Chief Minister’s residence on May 13. The FIR includes charges under sections 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 341 (wrongful restraint), 354(B) (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code, registered at the Civil Lines police station.
