Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal breaks silence on his party's MP Swati Maliwal’s alleged assault

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has commented for the first time on the alleged assault on his party's Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, saying that he expects fair investigation will be conducted and justice will be done, stressing that there are two versions of the event.

Last week, Maliwal kicked a political firestorm, after she alleged that Kejriwal’s PA Bibhav Kumar, assaulted her at the chief minister's residence on May 13. The AAP leader claimed Kumar had kicked her in the chest, stomach and pelvic area and had brutally "dragged her and pulled her shirt up".

Kumar has been arrested and was sent to the custody of the Delhi Police till May 23. 

The AAP chief, while talking to news agency PTI, said the alleged assault is "sub-judice" and him commenting on it could affect the proceedings. 

"But I expect there will be a fair investigation. Justice should be served. There are two versions of the event. Police should investigate both versions fairly and justice should be done," he was quoted as saying. 

Meanwhile, Maliwal has hit back strongly at Kejriwal and said it was ironic that the person who had "assassinated her character" and called her a "BJP agent" was now calling for a free and fair investigation.

Taking to microblogging site X, Maliwal wrote, "After unleashing the entire army of leaders and volunteers at me, calling me a BJP agent, assassinating my character, leaking edited videos, victim shaming me, …..has finally said that he wants free and fair investigation in the matter. Irony died a thousand deaths. I don’t buy this one bit”.

Maliwal’s alleged assault has prompted attacks from BJP on the AAP, where the party raised question on Kejriwal’s silence. Earlier, on May 21, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena had also commented that he was deeply distressed on the issue of alleged assault on Maliwal.

In a statement on X by Raj Niwas, Saxena said the Delhi Police is investigating the matter and it will be brought to its "logical conclusion." He also called the alleged U-turn by the party on the matter "baffling." 

"I would have expected that, at least for the sake of propriety, my chief minister would have come clean, rather than being evasive and dodgy. His deafening silence speaks volumes of his stance on safety of women, “ Saxena said.

This in turn prompted a strong response from AAP, which said Saxena's statement proves that Maliwal "is working for the BJP". 

"With the elections on, the BJP is bringing a new conspiracy daily, from liquor scam to Swati Maliwal to foreign funding. The BJP is losing badly, so they are trying to revive their prospects by using the Swati Maliwal issue," the party said. 

The Delhi Police arrested Kejriwal’s PA on May 18, after an FIR was lodged against him based on the complaint by former Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Maliwal. 

The FIR was filed under IPC Sections 308 (Attempt to commit culpable homicide), 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint), 354B (Assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation), and 509 (Word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).
Interestingly, Kumar, had filed a counter-complaint against Maliwal the same day alleging her of unauthorized entry, verbal abuse, and threats and the possibility of BJP hand behind the matter.

He lodged the complaint after a video had surfaced online in which Maliwal was purportedly seen abusing the security personnel at Delhi CM’s residence. Kumar claimed that Maliwal tried to "create a ruckus and assault" him after she "forcefully and unauthorizedly" entered the Delhi Chief Minister's residence on May 13.