New Delhi: Delhi Police Saturday arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s close aide Bibhav Kumar on assault and criminal intimidation charges, ThePrint has learnt. The development comes two days after Kumar — Kejriwal’s former personal assistant — was booked for assaulting Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal.
In her complaint to the police, Maliwal, the former chief of the Delhi Commission for Women, claimed that Kumar had abused, dragged, and intimidated her when she went to CM and AAP convenor Kejriwal’s residence earlier this week. The development spells more trouble for Kejriwal and AAP, who are facing corruption allegations in the alleged Delhi liquor scam case.
Kumar has been booked under IPC sections 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 341 (wrongful restraint), 354(b) (assault or use of criminal force against a woman with the intent to disrobe her), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).
Meanwhile, Kumar has also sent two formal complaints to the Delhi Police accusing Maliwal of trespass and security breach at the CM’s residence. In his first email, sent to the Station House Officer of the Civil Lines Police station Friday, he alleged that Maliwal had “forcefully and unauthorizedly” entered the residence and was now “falsely implicating” him. Kumar followed this up with another police complaint reiterating his allegations but also promising to cooperate with police investigations.
ThePrint has seen the complaints, both sent by email.
The arrest led to Kumar’s anticipatory bail application, moved at Delhi’s Tis Hazari court earlier in the day, being ordered infructuous. The court order came after the additional public prosecutor told the court of Kumar’s arrest.
Also Read: Fixing Kejriwal’s meetings & his rivals — Bibhav Kumar of Swati Maliwal row is ultimate AAP insider
‘No appointment, unauthorised entry’
In his counter-complaint, Kumar claimed that when Maliwal was asked to wait outside the main building of the CM’s residence, “she started shouting at and abusing the CM office staff”.
“She told them to leave the waiting area and check with the Chief Minister about her appointment. At around 9:00 am, despite strong objections of the CM office staff, she stormed out of the waiting area and entered the main building of CM Residence, where the CM resides. The said actions of Ms. Maliwal were brought to the notice of the undersigned complainant, who till this time was not present at the CM Residence premises,” Kumar said in his complaint.
When Kumar reached there, he was told that Maliwal had no appointment and had made an “unauthorised entry into the premises of the CM Residence, despite the objections of the security officers and CM office staff”, the complaint alleged.
“At around 9:22 am, the complainant entered the main building of the CM Residence and found Ms. Maliwal sitting in the drawing room. The complainant approached Ms. Maliwal and politely requested her to follow the proper procedure for meeting the Hon’ble CM. As soon the Complainant stated the above, Ms. Maliwal started screaming and shouting at the Complainant, hurled abuses, and said: “tumhari himmat kaise hui…ek MP ko rokne ki….tumhari aukat kya hai (how dare you stop an MP from entering),” Kumar quoted Maliwal as saying.
Meanwhile, Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre confirmed two wounds on Maliwal’s body — one on her left leg and one below the right eye on her right cheek — in its preliminary medico-legal examination.
The AAP has defended Kumar by calling it a “BJP conspiracy”. In its official statement, given at a press conference that AAP minister Atishi addressed Thursday, the party claimed that Maliwal landed at Kejriwal’s residence “unannounced and without an appointment” to “implicate Kejriwal with false allegations”. Citing a viral video that circulated earlier that day, she said her clothes were not torn and there appeared to be “no signs of injury”.
“Maliwal wanted to frame the CM but he was saved as he was not available. So she chose to level the false charges against Bibhav. The video that has emerged today has exposed her lies. Going by her police complaint, she suffered injuries but in the video, she could be seen sitting comfortably. Moreover, she is threatening police officers and Bibhav,” the senior AAP leader said.
On her part, Maliwal has accused her party of “taking a U-turn” from its previous stance. In its previous statement, the party had seemingly admitted to the incident and said “strict action” would be taken.
In a post on X after AAP’s press conference, Maliwal said: “The leaders who joined the party (AAP) yesterday declared a worker who has been with it for 20 years an agent of the BJP. Two days ago, the party had accepted the truth in a press conference and, today, it has taken a U-turn”.
This is an updated version of this report.
Also Read: Instant Analysis: Swati Maliwal’s allegation, AAP’s woes and the case of missing Rajya Sabha MPs