The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) acknowledged allegations made by its Rajya Sabha MP, Swati Maliwal, stating she was assaulted by the Personal Secretary of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The party declared that Kejriwal would take severe action against PS Bibhav Kumar.
The incident occurred on Monday morning at the Chief Minister's residence, and came to light after Maliwal visited the Civil Lines police station, reporting misconduct by Kejriwal's personal staff. Maliwal also placed PCR calls following the alleged assault.
Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh addressed the issue publicly for the first time, confirming the incident and asserting that the Chief Minister would address it seriously.
"Yesterday, Maliwal went to meet Arvind Kejriwal at his residence. While waiting in the drawing room to meet him, Bibhav Kumar behaved inappropriately with her. This incident is highly condemnable. Kejriwal has taken notice of it and will act strictly in response," Singh stated during a press conference.
Singh also characterized the incident as "condemnable," affirming Maliwal's significant contributions to the country and society.
Responding to Singh's press briefing, Delhi BJP chief Virendraa Sachdeva accused the AAP of trying to suppress the incident and alleged political pressure behind Maliwal's silence.
"A woman was mistreated inside the Chief Minister's residence, and you're saying notice will be taken. This reflects AAP's insensitivity. The police should have been called immediately. Even after 26 hours, there's no talk of police action. Swati Maliwal is being silenced due to political pressure," Sachdeva criticized.
On Monday, police received a PCR call at 9:34 am from a woman reporting an assault at the Delhi Chief Minister's residence. However, Maliwal left the police station after initially visiting, stating she would file a complaint later.
As of now, police have not received a formal complaint from Maliwal regarding the incident. The National Commission for Women (NCW) condemned the assault and announced plans to dispatch an inquiry team to investigate the matter.