Arvind Kejriwal aide booked for assault after Swati Maliwal files police complaint

On Thursday night, Maliwal was taken to AIIMS for a medical check-up.

Joint DCP North at Swati Maliwal’s residence in New Delhi on Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)

In a social media post in Hindi, Maliwal wrote, “What happened to me was very bad. I have given my statement to the police. I hope 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 carry out character assassination, who said I was doing it on the instructions of another party, may God keep them happy too.”

“An important election is going on in the country. Swati Maliwal is not important, the issues of the country are important. I specially request those with the BJP not to politicise this incident,” she wrote.

Earlier in the day, Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Khushwaha and Additional DCP 2 (North) Anjitha Chepyala visited Maliwal’s Minto Road house to record her statement. They reached around 1.30 pm and left five hours later.

After recording her statement, the team went to meet Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and discussed the matter at length before registering an FIR, officers familiar with the matter said.

“She has alleged that Kumar came into the room when she was waiting to meet Kejriwal, and started verbally abusing her, before slapping her multiple times, without provocation. She further alleged that she raised an alarm and asked him to let her go, but he continued assaulting her,” an officer said.

According to the officer, she alleged that Kumar struck her on her face, chest, stomach and the lower part of her body, and that she ran outside and made the PCR call.

According to the diary entry made by the Delhi Police on receiving her call Monday morning, Maliwal had alleged that Kumar attacked her at the CM’s behest. She had also gone to the Civil Lines police station on Monday but did not register a complaint at the time.

Kumar and the AAP did not respond to requests seeking a comment on the development.

The crisis for the AAP comes at a time when Kejriwal is out on interim bail until June 1 in the Delhi excise policy case – it was granted by the Supreme Court so he could campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.

Maliwal, Kejriwal and Kumar have known each other for nearly two decades – they first met while working together in the Public Cause Research Foundation, an NGO co-founded by Kejriwal.

On Tuesday, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh had addressed a press conference, acknowledging that Kumar had “misbehaved” with Maliwal, and that Kejriwal had directed strict action against his long-time aide.

The National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharma had written to the Delhi Police Commissioner on Monday evening itself, seeking an action taken report in the matter within three days. The commission has also summoned Kumar on Friday.

Kumar was, meanwhile, spotted at the Lucknow airport alongside Kejriwal, who was in the city on Thursday to address a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party chief and INDIA bloc partner Akhilesh Yadav.

At the press conference, when he was asked about Maliwal’s allegations, Kejriwal did not respond and said that Sanjay Singh would answer questions on the matter.

Akhilesh Yadav said, “Iss se zyada zaroori aur cheezein bhi hain (there are other, more important things than this)”.

Sanjay Singh said, “The whole country is shocked and pained. The wife of a soldier who fought in the Kargil war was paraded naked, hundreds of women were brutalised, but the Prime Minister of India remains quiet… Thousands of women were raped by Prajwal Revanna (JDS MP and Lok Sabha candidate), and the Prime Minister asks people to vote for him as he will strengthen India… In UP, in the matter of Kuldeep Sengar, the case in Hathras, the PM remains silent.”

“When women wrestlers were protesting at Jantar Mantar, seeking justice, Swati Maliwal had gone there as DCW chief in the evening to express solidarity, but the police dragged her and beat her… AAP is our family; the party has made its position clear… Don’t play political games on this issue,” he said.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, meanwhile, took aim at the CM: “I want to ask Arvind Kejriwal why he allowed this sort of behaviour with a woman… The whole country, society is standing with Swati Maliwal and with any woman who is treated this way.”