Tensions have escalated between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal. The party accused her of “conspiring” with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.This accusation comes amid allegations that Kejriwal’s private secretary, Bibhav Kumar, assaulted the former Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief.
AAP has expressed support for Bibhav Kumar, alleging that Swati Maliwal is part of a BJP conspiracy. Subsequently, Kumar was arrested by Delhi Police at Kejriwal’s residence.
During a press conference on Friday, AAP leader and Delhi minister Atishi dismissed Maliwal’s allegations against Kumar as baseless, claiming she was acting on behalf of the BJP to target Kejriwal.
On Friday, Delhi Police, accompanied by a Forensic Science Laboratory team, visited the Chief Minister’s residence. They collected relevant CCTV footage of the alleged incident and took Maliwal to the scene to recreate the crime.
In response, Kumar filed a counter-complaint against Maliwal, accusing her of breaching the security of the CM’s residence on May 13 and causing a disturbance. Kumar claimed that when he attempted to stop her, she verbally abused him. He further alleged that Maliwal was now falsely implicating him to exert undue pressure. Kumar’s complaint was submitted via email to the Civil Lines Police Station SHO.
LIVE UPDATES:
5:28PM, May 18- Bibhav Kumar To Be Produced In Court Today
5:00PM: Arvind Kejriwal issues official statement
Delhi CM has challenged BJP as he will be coming to BJP headquarters at 12 noon. He said that PM Modi needs to stop the jail game as the latter is putting all his aides behind the bars.
4:36PM, May 18- Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal will address a media briefing at 5pm
4:00PM, May 18- Assam CM requests Delhi Police to investigate Arvind Kejriwal’s role in Swati Maliwal assault case
1:58PM, May 18- BJP’s Shehzad Poonawalla comments on Swati Maliwal’s character assassination
Reacting to the news, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, “From corruption to misconduct to disinformation, standard operating procedure of Aam Aadmi Party, it has become their idea and etiquette to indulge in this kind of modus operandi, in modern time, not just ‘cheerharan’ happened with ‘Draupadi’ but also character assassination. At first, they (AAP) remained silent, then after that, a little bit of acceptance (about the incident) was done by them after that brazen defence of the accused was done.”
1:40PM, May 18- AAP’s legal cell reacts to Bibhav Kumar’s arrest
On the arrest of CM Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar, in AAP MP Swati Maliwal’s assault case, Sanjeev Nasiar, state president of AAP legal cell said, “We have applied to the court saying that we have not yet received a copy of the FIR. The order was reserved till 4 pm but now I have come to know that he has been brought here without any notice. Now we want to go inside (Civil Lines PS) but we are being stopped from going inside.”
1:28PM, May 18- Bibhav Kumar arrested in Swati Maliwal assault case
Bibhav Kumar has been arrested by Delhi Police. Meanwhile, AAP MP Raghav Chadha has arrived at the Civil Lines police station, where Kumar has been taken.
12:49PM, May 18- Bibhav Kumar detained for questioning
Delhi Police have detained Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide, Bibhav Kumar, from the CM’s residence for questioning in the Swati Maliwal assault case, according to police.
