In the midst of intense debates over the reported assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal by a close aide of the Delhi CM, BJP leaders in Delhi have expressed their support for Maliwal and called for action in the matter. Shazia Ilmi, a BJP leader in Delhi, shared her own encounters with Kumar's inappropriate behavior, leading to more controversy.
The Delhi police also filed an FIR in connection with the alleged assault on Thursday evening, naming the Delhi CM's personal assistant, Bibhav Kumar. BJP's Shazia Ilmi said, "They are defending this for political gain. She (Swati Maliwal) has been beaten. Bibhav Kumar's job profile is to obey Arvind Kejriwal. I have also tolerated the misbehaviour of that person. Prashant Kumar and Yogendra Yadav were also kicked out by bouncers. But this time they have crossed limits. Is beating up a woman by your PA appropriate? The police have done well. They have reached for her help."
Further, she asked for Kejriwal's resignation from the CM post. "Kejriwal should resign immediately. It is not right for him to maintain that chair. After getting a female colleague beaten up, he has no reason to be the CM. He should apologize and resign, and there should be immediate criminal action. No one should think that this has been done by Bibhav. All of this has been done by Arvind Kejriwal. Bibhav has done this misbehaviour on the orders of Arvind Kejriwal," Ilmi alleged.
Delhi BJP President, Virendra Sachdeva questioned Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's silence on the matter. "Finally, Swati Maliwal has broken her silence, and she has informed the police about this in her complaint. The police have also registered an FIR against Bibhav Kumar under sections of IPC. I want to ask only one question, Arvind Kejriwal. When such an incident happened with Swati Maliwal at your residence and you were present in the house at that time, why did you allow a woman to be tortured? Why did you not try to stop it? Why are you silent on this?" Sachdeva said.
"You should immediately hand over Bibhav to the police. The entire country, the entire society, stands with Swati Maliwal and every woman with whom such an incident happens," he added.
BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa, while reacting to the incident, said that Swati Maliwal complained about the misbehaviour done to her but the shocking thing is that Arvind Kejriwal, who speaks about women's rights, has still not taken any action against Bibhav Kumar. The Civil Lines Police on Thursday registered a case under sections 354, 506, 509, and 323, among other IPC sections, for offence including assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, criminal intimidation, word gesture or acts of intent to insult, and assault.
The action was taken based on a formal complaint lodged by Swati Maliwal on Thursday. In her complaint, Maliwal has alleged she was "slapped, hit on the stomach, and kicked" by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's PA, Bibhav Kumar.
Following the case, Maliwal was taken to AIIMS Delhi on Thursday night. According to sources, the AAP MP reached there for medical check-up. At around 03.40 am, she could be seen leaving the AIIMS hospital.Special Cell and Crime Branch teams have been deployed to arrest the accused. His location is being traced, and several teams of the Delhi Police are working on it, sources said.