The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday said the allegations leveled against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s Personal Secretary Bibhav Kumar by its MP and former chief of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Swati Maliwal are “false and baseless”.
The party also accused the parliamentarian of working at the behest of the BJP to target the Chief Minister.
The latest statement of the AAP on the alleged assault on Maliwal came days after senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said what happened with her was highly condemnable and the Chief Minister took cognizance of the matter and would take a strict action in this regard.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Atishi said, “Ever since Arvind Kejriwal ji came out of jail, BJP has been rattled. In this sequence, BJP hatched a conspiracy and Swati Maliwal ji was made the face of it. She reached the Chief Minister’s residence without any appointment and she wanted to accuse the Chief Minister, but the Chief Minister was not there at that time so he was saved. After that allegations were leveled against Bibhav Kumar.”
Referring to a purported video of the alleged incident of 13th May that surfaced on social media, she said, “A video surfaced today has exposed the truth of Swati Maliwal ji’s allegations. In the FIR to Delhi Police, Swati ji has claimed that she was brutally beaten. Her head was hit and clothes were torn. But nothing like this is visible in the video.”
“The video shows the opposite. She is sitting comfortably on the sofa and threatening the police officials and Bibhav Kumar ji in a loud voice. Using abusive words. The video has made it clear today that all the allegations made by Swati Maliwal ji are false and baseless,” she said.
In her complaint, Maliwal had alleged Kumar of abusing and physically assaulting her at the residence of the Delhi Chief Minister on 13th May.
“He (Kumar) came and stood right in front of me and started slapping me with his full force. He slapped me even-eight times at least while I continued screaming. I felt absolutely numb and shocked and was screaming for help over and over again. In order to protect myself, I pushed him away with my legs. At that time, he pounced on me, brutally dragged me and deliberately pulled my shirt up. My shirt buttons opened and the shirt flew up. I landed on the floor while hitting my head on the center table,” she stated in the complaint.
Maliwal further alleged, “I was constantly screaming for help, but no one came. After that, Bibhav Kumar did not relent and attacked me by kicking me repeatedly in my chest, stomach and pelvis area with his legs. I was in extreme pain and kept telling him to stop. My shirt was coming up but he still continued to assault me. I repeatedly told him that I am having my periods and that he should please let go of me as I am in unbearable pain. However, he attacked me with full force again.”