AAP MP Swati Maliwal Writes Letter To Sharad Pawar in Assault Case; Seeks His Intervention

Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal recently publicly disclosed a letter she had addressed to Sharad Pawar, the chief of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The AAP minister has once again made the headline as she revealed that she had sent a letter to the Nationalist COngress Party chief. In her letter to Pawar, Maliwal had requested a meeting with him in order to discuss her ongoing assault case that involved Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s personal assistant and a close aide, Bibhav Kumar. This case had previously sparked significant controversy within the INDIA bloc, of which both AAP and NCP are members.

Kumar was arrested in the month of May following Maliwal’s allegations of assaulting her at the chief minister’s official residence. Last week, a Delhi court extended his judicial custody until June 22.

In her letter to Pawar, Maliwal expressed her dismay at the response she received from her own party members. Instead of support, she described facing victim shaming and attacks on her character.“A smear campaign was organised in the electronic and social media to undermine my reputation, character and credibility. Due to the lies spread against me, I have been receiving multiple rape and death threats,”  Maliwal wrote.

Maliwal, the former head of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), detailed the personal and professional turmoil she has endured since the assault allegations came to light. “Over the past one month, I have encountered first-hand the pain and isolation a survivor faces when she fights for justice. The brutal victim shaming and character assassination I have been subjected to, would discourage other women and girls from speaking up against abuse,” she added. Maliwal emphasized the importance of addressing this issue and sought Pawar’s time to discuss it further.

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Bibhav Kumar was last produced via video conferencing before the duty metropolitan magistrate, who extended his custody and directed the Delhi Police to produce him on June 22. Previously, on Friday, the court had extended Kumar’s custody by one day due to the absence of the investigating officer. Kumar was initially arrested on May 18 and was placed in police custody for five days. Subsequently, his custody was extended multiple times, with his most recent remand being for four days of judicial custody, followed by an additional three days in police custody.

The charges against Kumar include criminal intimidation, assault or criminal force on a woman with the intent to disrobe, and attempt to commit culpable homicide. These charges were filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code following an FIR registered on May 16.