Swati Maliwal, Arvind Kejriwal, Bibhav Kumar: “Slapped 7-8 Times, Kicked In Chest, Stomach”: Swati Maliwal In FIR

New Delhi: Slapped 7-8 times, dragged and kicked in the chest – AAP leader Swati Maliwal has levelled serious allegations against Bibhav Kumar, an aide of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Ms Maliwal in her complaint has claimed that on Monday morning she was assaulted by Mr Kumar in the drawing room of Mr Kejriwal’s official residence, with the Chief Minister present in the house at the time.

Ms Maliwal visited the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at 6, Flag Staff Road, Civil Lines in Delhi. Upon arrival, she attempted to contact Mr Kumar but received no response. Entering the residence, as she had done routinely over the past year, she informed the staff of her presence and was asked to wait in the drawing room.

While waiting, Mr Kumar allegedly burst into the room, unleashing a tirade of verbal abuse. Ms Maliwal detailed a harrowing account in the FIR, accusing Mr 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,” Ms Maliwal claimed in her complaint, police sources said. “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.”

READ | Arvind Kejriwal’s Aide Faces Assault Charge After Swati Maliwal Complaint

“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.”

Ms Maliwal added in her complaint that she managed to run out of the house and call the police.

“I was in a terrible state of shock because of this attack. I was deeply traumatised and called the 112 number and reported the incident,” Mr Maliwal stated in the FIR. 

When the security personnel arrived, instead of assisting Ms Maliwal, they were allegedly instructed by Mr Kumar to remove her from the premises. Despite her condition, she was forced to leave and waited outside the Chief Minister’s residence until the police arrived. 

“Bibhav came back with the security personnel working at the main gate. I kept telling them that I was brutally beaten up and they should look at my condition and wait until the police comes but they asked me to leave the premises,” Ms Maliwal’s statement reads. 

READ | “What Happened To Me Was Very Bad”: Swati Maliwal On Assault Row

Last night, Delhi Police escorted Ms Maliwal to the AIIMS Trauma Centre for a medical checkup. When the police reached Mr Kumar’s residence in the Chandrawal Nagar area of the national capital, they found that he was missing. Teams from the Crime Branch and Special Cell are actively searching for Mr Kumar, aiming to bring him into custody.

The Delhi Police registered an FIR 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 Ms Maliwal’s statement was recorded by a police team led by Additional Commissioner PS Kushwaha.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has also summoned Mr Kumar for a hearing today.

Following the police visit, Ms Maliwal posted on social media about the distressing 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,” Ms Maliwal posted last night.

मेरे साथ जो हुआ वो बहुत बुरा था। मेरे साथ हुई घटना पर मैंने पुलिस को अपना स्टेटमेंट दिया है। मुझे आशा है कि उचित कार्यवाही होगी। पिछले दिन मेरे लिए बहुत कठिन रहे हैं। जिन लोगों ने प्रार्थना की उनका धन्यवाद करती हूँ। जिन लोगों ने Character Assassination करने की कोशिश की, ये बोला…

— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) May 16, 2024

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.

Mr Kejriwal deflected questions regarding the incident during a press conference in Lucknow yesterday, where he appeared alongside Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and AAP MP Sanjay Singh. Mr Singh, addressing the press, acknowledged Mr Kumar’s misconduct and deflected criticism towards the BJP, demanding 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.