Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Calls for Fair Investigation into AAP MP Swati Maliwal’s Assault Allegations
In his first response to the alleged assault of AAP MP Swati Maliwal at his official residence, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday expressed his expectation for a fair investigation and that justice should be served.
Maliwal has alleged that she was assaulted by Kejriwal’s personal assistant, Bibhav Kumar, when she visited the Chief Minister on May 13. The police have registered a case and arrested Kumar in connection with the incident.
In an interview with PTI, Kejriwal stated that the matter is currently sub-judice and that his comments could influence the proceedings.
“But I expect a fair investigation. Justice should be served. There are two versions of the event. The police should investigate both versions impartially, and justice should be done,” Kejriwal said.
His aide, Kumar, is currently in five-day police custody in connection with the case.
In response to Kejriwal’s comments, Maliwal criticized him, saying, “Irony died a thousand deaths,” and expressed skepticism about his call for a fair investigation.
“After unleashing the entire army of leaders and volunteers at me, calling me a BJP agent, assassinating my character, leaking edited videos, victim shaming me, roaming around with the accused, letting him re-enter the crime scene and tamper with evidence, and protesting in favor of the accused, the Chief Minister, in whose drawing room I was beaten up, has finally said that he wants a free and fair investigation. Irony died a thousand deaths. I don’t buy this one bit,” she said in a post on X.
Earlier on Wednesday, Maliwal alleged that there is “a lot of pressure” within the party to malign her.
“Yesterday, I got a call from a senior party leader. They told me how there is immense pressure on everyone to speak ill of Swati, to break her by leaking personal photos. It is being said that anyone who supports her will be expelled from the party,” the Rajya Sabha member said in a post on X.
“Different individuals have been assigned various tasks, such as holding press conferences, tweeting, or contacting volunteers in America to dig up dirt on me,” she added.
On Tuesday, Kumar was taken to Mumbai for the retrieval of data from his phone, which he had allegedly formatted before his arrest.
Police suspect Kumar formatted his phone after transferring its data to another person or device in Mumbai. Kumar’s phones and laptop, as well as CCTV recordings from Kejriwal’s house, have been sent for forensic examination, an officer said. With Kumar’s police custody ending on Thursday, investigators are working to gather all relevant evidence related to the case, he added.
