AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal revealed today (May 26) that she has been receiving rape and death threats following a “character assassination” campaign allegedly initiated by party leaders and volunteers. Maliwal stated that the situation worsened after YouTuber Dhruv Rathee released a one-sided video targeting her.
“After AAP leaders and volunteers launched a campaign of character assassination, victim shaming, and inciting emotions against me, I started receiving rape and death threats. This intensified when YouTuber @Dhruv_Rathee posted a biased video about me,” Ms. Maliwal wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.
After the leaders and volunteers of my party i.e. AAP orchestrated a campaign of charachter assassination, victim shaming and fanning of emotions against me, I have been getting rape and death threats.
This got further exacerbated when YouTuber @Dhruv_Rathee posted a one-sided… pic.twitter.com/EfCHHWW0xu
— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) May 26, 2024
Maliwal accused the party leadership of trying to intimidate her into withdrawing her complaint. She also expressed disappointment with Dhruv Rathee, stating that despite her attempts to contact him and present her side of the story, he ignored her calls and messages.
“It is shameful that someone who claims to be an independent journalist could act like an AAP spokesperson and victim-shame me to the point where I am now facing extreme abuses and threats,” she added.
Ms. Maliwal highlighted several points she believed were overlooked in Dhruv Rathee’s 2.5-minute video:
She said Dhruv Rathee failed to mention: why AAP reversed its stance after initially acknowledging the incident; the MLC report revealing injuries from the assault; only a selective part of the video was released, and the accused’s phone was subsequently formatted; the accused was arrested at the crime scene (CM’s house) but allowed to re-enter the premises, potentially for evidence tampering; and how a woman who has always championed the right issues and even traveled to Manipur alone without security could be accused of being bought over by the BJP.
“The way the entire party machinery and its supporters have tried to vilify and shame me speaks volumes about their stance on women’s issues. I am reporting these rape and death threats to @DelhiPolice. I hope they take strong action against the perpetrators,” Maliwal said.
She concluded by stating, “In any case, if something happens to me, we know who instigated it.”
Bibhav Kumar was arrested on May 18 in connection with the assault on Maliwal at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on May 13.
