Assam CM Himanta on Swati Maliwal assault case: Why is Kejriwal still with Bibhav Kumar?

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has sharply criticised Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the alleged attack on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal. He questioned why Kejriwal had not acted against his aide, Bibhav Kumar, who was listed in a FIR filed by the Delhi Police on Thursday evening.

"There should be no politics in this matter," said CM Sarma. "Although we are not ideologically aligned with Swati Maliwal, it is our duty to speak up against crimes against women. Maliwal has filed a complaint with the Delhi Police, stating that what happened to her is very wrong. The question is, why is Arvind Kejriwal silent? Where was he during the incident? Why is he still with Bibhav Kumar and not taking action against him?"

CM Sarma further added, "Kejriwal has become a criminal, as reconfirmed by Swati Maliwal's tweet today." Earlier, on May 16, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala accused Kejriwal of shielding Bibhav Kumar, the accused in the case.

Poonawala posted an image of AAP leaders at Lucknow Airport, including Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh, and Bibhav Kumar. He tweeted, "72 hours have passed with no FIR on Bibhav Kumar. Instead, Kejriwal is shielding him and hanging around with him."

Poonawala claimed that the assault on Maliwal was orchestrated by Kejriwal and she was subjected to violence. "It is clear: the attack on Swati Maliwal was done at Kejriwal's behest. A woman Rajya Sabha MP was subjected to violence and assault," he added.

The Civil Lines Police registered a case under various sections of the IPC, including assault or criminal force to outrage a woman's modesty, criminal intimidation, and assault, based on Maliwal's complaint. She alleged that she was "slapped, hit on the stomach, and kicked" by Kejriwal's PA, Bibhav Kumar.

Following the incident, Maliwal was taken to AIIMS Delhi for a medical check-up. She was seen leaving the hospital around 3:40 am. Special Cell and Crime Branch teams have been deployed to arrest Bibhav Kumar, and his location is being traced with several teams of the Delhi Police working on the case, according to sources.

With ANI inputs