Delhi Police may visit the Chief Minister’s house on Friday to investigate and record the statements of the policemen and staff present there at the time of the alleged assault on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal, sources have said.
Delhi Police filed an FIR at the Civil Lines police station on Thursday in connection with the alleged assault on the AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP a few days ago. She claimed that she was assaulted by Chief Minister Arvind Kejirwal’s personal secretary, Bibhav Kumar.
The police will now have her statement recorded before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Under Section 164, a magistrate can record a person’s statement or confession during a police investigation before the trial.
Maliwal had made a PCR call from the Chief Minister’s House at 9.34 pm on May 13.
The Delhi Police may give notice to Bibhav Kumar and ask him to join the investigation, sources added.
According to the police FIR, Maliwal in her complaint said that she was slapped, hit on stomach, attacked and kicked by Bibhav Kumar at the Chief Minister’s residence.
Reportedly, according to the complaint filed by Swati Maliwal, Bibhav Kumar (the PA of Arvind Kejriwal), slapped her 5-6 times on the face and hit Maliwal on the chest and lower body. The complaint also reportedly says that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was in the house when the brutal assault took place and was in the know of what his PA was doing.
Details emerging on Swati Maliwal's case concerning.. if true, then shocking that the accused PA Bibhav was still allowed to move about with the CMs convoy campaigning
— Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) May 17, 2024
Maliwal in her complaint says
– 'CM's PA Bibhav Kumar slapped her about 5-6 times on the face'
– 'Bibhav also… pic.twitter.com/q0VUekdZI7
The Delhi police filed an FIR in connection with the alleged assault naming Bibhav Kumar.
The FIR has been registered under sections 354, 506, 509, and 323 of the IPC, among other sections, for offences including assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, criminal intimidation, word gesture or acts of intent to insult and assault.
Late last night, Swati Maliwal had gone to AIIMS for her medical check up after the brutal assault. According to reports, the check up lasted for over 3 hours. In the visuals which emerged later of Swati Maliwal reaching her residence post the medical check-up, it was clearly visible that Maliwal was experiencing difficulty in walking.
#WATCH | Delhi: AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal reaches her residence. pic.twitter.com/s2t1xlRgDV
— ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2024
After lodging the complaint with the Delhi police, Swati Maliwal, in a post on X, requested the Bharatiya Janata Party to not do politics over the incident. Calling the incident “very bad”, Maliwal said that she gave her statement in this regard to the police.
“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 she was doing it on the instructions of the other party, may God keep them happy too,” the former DCW chief said in a post on Thursday after lodging a complaint with the Delhi police.
(With inputs from ANI)
