New Delhi: Three days after she was allegedly assaulted by the close aide of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at his official residence, the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal Thursday lodged a formal complaint with the Delhi Police requesting action against the CM’s former personal secretary, Bibhav Kumar.
Subsequently, the Delhi Police late Thursday filed an FIR against Kumar under Indian Penal Code sections 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 354 (using criminal force against a woman).
Breaking her silence on X, Maliwal confirmed giving a statement to the Delhi Police and alleged attempts of “character assassination” and charges that she was working on the directions of another party.
Senior police officers such as the Additional Commissioner of Police of the Special Cell Pramod Kushwaha and Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police of the North district where the alleged offence took place went to Maliwal’s residence Thursday and registered a complaint against Kumar, who was sacked by the Delhi government’s Directorate of Vigilance over a 2007 case of stopping a public servant from discharging his duty.
ThePrint Monday reported that Maliwal had called up the Delhi Police control room at 9.34 am complaining that Kumar was beating her up at the behest of Kejriwal. Officers at the local police station had responded to the situation. Maliwal had also visited the Civil Lines police station but left within minutes without giving any complaint.
Meanwhile, as senior police officers were at Maliwal’s residence, the National Commission for Women issued a summons to Kumar asking him to appear before it Friday. NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma greeted Maliwal Thursday evening just as news broke of Maliwal lodging a complaint against Kumar.
Maliwal was the chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women before being nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the AAP. She was considered to be very close to Kejriwal and has been with him since the start of the India Against Corruption movement that progressed into the formation of the AAP in 2012.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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