Amidst intense discussions over the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal by a close aide of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, BJP leaders in the capital have expressed strong support for Maliwal and demanded action.
Delhi BJP leader Shazia Ilmi shared her own experiences of misconduct by the accused, Bibhav Kumar, adding fuel to the controversy. The Delhi police have filed an FIR naming Bibhav Kumar in connection with the alleged assault, which took place on Thursday evening.
“They are defending this for political gain. She (Swati Maliwal) has been beaten. Bibhav Kumar’s job profile is to obey Arvind Kejriwal. I have also tolerated the misbehavior of that person. Prashant Kumar and Yogendra Yadav were also kicked out by bouncers. But this time they have crossed limits. Is beating up a woman by your PA appropriate? The police have done well. They have reached for her help,” Ilmi stated.
Ilmi also called for Kejriwal’s resignation, saying, “Kejriwal should resign immediately. It is not right for him to maintain that chair. After getting a female colleague beaten up, he has no reason to be the CM. He should apologize and resign, and there should be immediate criminal action. No one should think that this has been done by Bibhav. All of this has been done by Arvind Kejriwal. Bibhav has done this misbehavior on the orders of Arvind Kejriwal.”
Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva questioned Kejriwal’s silence on the matter. “Finally, Swati Maliwal has broken her silence and she has informed the police about this in her complaint. The police have also registered an FIR against Bibhav Kumar under sections of IPC. I want to ask only one question, Arvind Kejriwal. When such an incident happened with Swati Maliwal at your residence and you were present in the house at that time, why did you allow a woman to be tortured? Why did you not try to stop it? Why are you silent on this?”
BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa also reacted to the incident, highlighting Kejriwal’s inaction. “Swati Maliwal complained about the misbehavior done to her but the shocking thing is that Arvind Kejriwal, who speaks about women’s rights, has still not taken any action against Bibhav Kumar,” Sirsa said.
The Civil Lines Police registered a case under IPC sections 354, 506, 509, and 323, among others, for offenses including assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, criminal intimidation, and assault. This action followed a formal complaint lodged by Maliwal, who alleged that she was “slapped, hit on the stomach, and kicked” by Bibhav Kumar.
Following the incident, Maliwal was taken to AIIMS Delhi for a medical check-up on Thursday night. Sources reported that she left the hospital around 03:40 am. Special Cell and Crime Branch teams have been deployed to arrest the accused, and several Delhi Police teams are working on tracing his location.
