Swati Maliwal assault: Delhi Police likely to visit Arvind Kejriwal's house

The police lodged an FIR at the Civil Lines police station regarding the assault on Maliwal, who alleged that Kejirwal's personal secretary assaulted her.

The Delhi Police is likely to visit chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's house on Friday to investigate the alleged assault of AAP MP Swati Maliwal. It will take statements from the policemen and staff who were present during the incident.

The AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal. (PTI)

On Thursday, the police lodged an FIR at the Civil Lines police station regarding the assault on Maliwal, who alleged that Kejirwal's personal secretary, Bibhav Kumar, thrashed her.

Meanwhile, members of the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Mahila Morcha gathered outside Kejriwal's house to protest against him by giving him bangles for not acting against Kumar. One of the members said to PTI, “Arvind Kejriwal should be ashamed. He should resign from his post and apologise to the country. Swati Maliwal should get justice."

Additional Commissioner of Police P S Kushwaha led a two-member team to record Maliwal's statement around 1:50pm on Thursday.

Hours after recording Maliwal's statement at her residence on Thursday, the Delhi Police named Kumar in the FIR. Additionally, sources suggest that the police may issue a notice to Kumar, summoning him to join the investigation. The National Commission for Women (NCW) has also summoned Kumar on May 17 at 11am.

The police will have her statement officially recorded before a magistrate as per Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code. This allows a magistrate to document a person's statement or confession during a police inquiry before the trial.

Read Here: Who is Swati Maliwal, AAP leader at the center of assault controversy?

Maliwal contacted a PCR from the CM's house at 9:34pm on May 13 when she visited Kejriwal's residence to meet him.

As per the FIR, Maliwal alleged in her complaint that she was slapped, hit on the stomach, attacked, and kicked by Kumar at the Chief Minister's residence. She added that she was sitting in Kejriwal's drawing room when Kumar entered and assaulted her. She also claimed that the Delhi CM was inside the house at the time of the incident, PTI reported.

The FIR has been lodged under sections 354, 506, 509, and 323 of the IPC, among others, covering offences such as assault, criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, criminal intimidation, and acts intending to insult and assault.

After filing the FIR, Maliwal visited Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Thursday night for a medical checkup.

Maliwal released a statement on X urging the BJP not to make the incident a political issue. She said, “What happened to me was very bad. I have given my statement to the police on the incident that happened to me. I hope that appropriate action will be taken. The last few days have been very difficult for me. I thank those who prayed for me. Those who tried to do character assassination, said that she was doing it on the instructions of the other party, may God keep them happy too. An important election is going on in the country, Swati Maliwal is not important, the issues of the country are important. There is a special request to BJP people to not do politics on this incident.”