A DAY after police said AAP’s Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal had alleged assault at the Delhi Chief Minister’s residence, party leader Sanjay Singh said on Tuesday that Arvind Kejriwal’s aide, Bibhav Kumar, had “misbehaved” with her and would face “strict action”.
Addressing a press conference, Singh, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, said: “Kal ek bahut hi nindaniya ghatna ghatit hui jiske baare main aap sabko batana chahta hoon. Kal subah Arvind Kejriwal ji ke aawas pe Swati Maliwal ji milne ke liye pahunchi thi, drawing room main intezaar kar rahi thin. Iss beech Bibhav Kumar ji wahan pe aate hain, aur unhone Swati Maliwal ji ke saath bahut badtameezi ki, abhadrata ki.”
(Yesterday, a condemnable incident took place, I want to tell you about it. Swati Maliwal reached Arvind Kejriwal’s house yesterday morning. She was waiting for him in the drawing room, when Bibhav Kumar came there; he misbehaved and acted indecently with her.)
Singh said Maliwal called up the Police Control Room (PCR) and informed them about the incident. “Is ghatna ki jitni ninda ki jaye kam hai. Arvind Kejriwal ji ne poori ghatna ko sangyan main liya hai aur iss poore mamle main sakht karyavahi karne ko kaha hai (This incident cannot be condemned enough. Arvind Kejriwal has taken cognizance of the entire incident and has directed that strict action be taken),” he said.
“As far as Swati Maliwal is concerned, she has done a lot for the society and the country. She is a senior leader of the party. We are all with her. The CM has taken serious note of the incident and action will be taken. We want to make it clear that the AAP does not support such people,” Singh said.
On Monday, police said Maliwal had called up the PCR in the morning and alleged that she had been assaulted by Kumar at the CM’s residence. While police said Maliwal went to the Civil Lines police station, she did not file an official complaint. Police records showed that two daily diary entries were made regarding the PCR call, in which Maliwal alleged that she was assaulted on Kejriwal’s instructions.
Both Maliwal and the AAP had declined to comment on the incident on Monday.
Asked about the party’s delayed response on Tuesday, a senior AAP leader said they had spoken to Maliwal and Kumar since the incident. “Senior party leaders have spoken to both him and Swati. This is a very sensitive matter and it should not have played out the way it did. Till yesterday, tempers were high on both sides. The party needs to take all these things into account and act fairly, and make sure due processes are followed,” said a party source.
Maliwal, who was the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief for nearly a decade, was made a Rajya Sabha member by her party in January. Her association with Kejriwal, as well as Kumar, predates the formation of AAP and even the India Against Corruption movement, going back to the time when they worked together in the Public Cause Research Foundation, an NGO co-founded by Kejriwal.
Kumar is seen as the bridge between Kejriwal and others. When the CM was in Tihar Jail, Kumar would deliver home-cooked food for him daily. His role in the CM’s life ranges from making sure he takes his medicines on time to managing his communication and looking after the party’s organisational work, said an AAP insider.
The party’s public acknowledgment that Kumar “misbehaved” with Maliwal is a departure from its earlier stand, wherein it tried to shield him from allegations ranging from corruption to questioning the validity of his post as private secretary.
Sources pointed out that the party does not want to risk losing support among women, who are seen as its biggest support base. “At a time when the campaign is at its peak, the party does not want this to become an issue that will drag on. In making a public statement, it has sent the message that Swati’s complaints have not fallen on deaf ears,” said an AAP leader.
Earlier, questions were raised about Maliwal’s absence from Delhi after Kejriwal was arrested on March 21. She had said that she was in the US for her sister’s medical treatment. After returning, she participated in a few election rallies, but was missing from the AAP stage on Saturday, when Kejriwal made his first public address after being released on interim bail.
Meanwhile, National Commission for Women chief Rekha Sharma, who had asked the police for an action taken report on Monday, posted on X: “I am worried about the safety of @SwatiJaiHind. A woman who raises voice for others, what pressure is she under that she is unable to come forward and complain to police…”
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said Kumar should have been arrested. “Till yesterday, AAP leaders kept shut about the incident, why were they quiet? A woman faces misbehaviour, is assaulted and you are saying you will take cognizance of it? He (Kumar) should have been under arrest by now… An FIR should be registered on the basis of her (Maliwal’s) statement and everyone who is guilty should face action,” he said.
