Swati Maliwal assault: Delhi Police likely to visit Kejriwal's house
What's the story
The Delhi Police may visit the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday in connection with the alleged assault of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal. The investigation will involve taking statements from staff and policemen present during the incident, the Hindustan Times reported. The police have already registered a complaint at the Civil Lines police station regarding the assault, which Maliwal claims was perpetrated by Kejriwal's aide, Bibhav Kumar.
Booked
Kumar booked for allegedly assaulting Maliwal
Kumar was also booked under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 354 (assault or use of criminal force on woman with intent to disrobe) and 506 (criminal intimidation), on Thursday. In the FIR, Maliwal claimed she was hit on the stomach, slapped, and kicked by Kumar in Kejriwal's drawing room while the CM was present in the house. After the complaint was registered, Maliwal was taken to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for check-up.
Assault details
Delhi Police receives distress call
The case came to light on Monday, when the Delhi Police said it received two distress calls from Kejriwal's residence that Maliwal had been assaulted there. The callers claimed that Kejriwal's aide, Kumar, prevented the former Delhi Commission for Women chairperson from meeting with the CM at his residence and allegedly harassed her. On the same day, Maliwal visited the Civil Lines Police Station but left without lodging any complaint.
Statement
Maliwal released a statement on X
In her first statement since the alleged assault, Maliwal urged the Bharatiya Janata Party not to make the incident a political 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." "An important election is going on in the country, Swati Maliwal is not important, the issues of the country are important," she wrote on X.
Kejriwal
Kejriwal silent on alleged assault
Meanwhile, Kejriwal chose to remain silent about the alleged assault by his aide Kumar. When asked about the same at a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, AAP leader Sanjay Singh responded in his stead. "The Aam Aadmi Party is a family. The party has made its stance clear, and I want the Prime Minister and the BJP to respond to all the issues I have raised. Please don't play political games on this," Singh said.