Swati Maliwal, a Rajya Sabha member from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), spoke to news agency ANI on Thursday about the alleged assault by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide, Bibhav Kumar, on May 13. Among several claims, Maliwal accused Arvind Kejriwal of protecting his aide, claiming that the Delhi Chief Minister was at his residence when Kumar allegedly assaulted her.
She said, “No matter what power in the world comes to power, I will not resign.” This is the first time that Swati verbally narrated the incident as the earlier account was gathered from her FIR against Bibhav.
Kumar has been detained and placed in five-day police custody, facing charges of molestation and attempted culpable homicide. A Special Investigation Team is now investigating the allegations. Meanwhile, the AAP has rejected Maliwal's claims, accusing her of acting on behalf of the BJP to frame Kejriwal.
Here are the arguments put forth by Swati Maliwal in her case:
On being asked about the Chief Minister's statement that there was pressure on her to compromise, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal said, "I have been trolled and press conferences are being held every day to assassinate my character. This is done only to create pressure on me so that I end this matter. Every word I said in that FIR is absolutely correct. I am ready to undergo a polygraph, narco test.” Kejriwal has previously stated that Swati is facing charges in an illegal recruitment case and she was "blackmailed" by the BJP to become part of the "conspiracy" against AAP.
On a question on whether Bibhav was instructed to beat her up, Swati said, "It is a matter of investigation whether he acted on his own or whether he was instructed to do so. I am cooperating with the investigation. I am not giving any clean chit to anyone. The fact is I was being beaten up and Arvind Kejriwal was there.”
Responding to AAP's accusation that she did not schedule an appointment on May 13, Maliwal stated: "I have rarely taken an appointment. Whenever I have gone to his (CM Kejriwal's) residence, I have never taken an appointment... They said that I was trespassing, so I wanted to know that if I was trespassing then they would have stopped me at the gate itself. If someone doesn't come with an appointment, will you beat him up?..."
When questioned about allegations that she acted due to pressure to vacate her Rajya Sabha seat for a lawyer, Maliwal said, "... If they wanted my Rajya Sabha seat, if they had asked for it with love, I would have given up my life; being an MP is a very small thing… Now no matter what power in the world comes to power, I will not resign."
On victim shaming, Maliwal said, "Nirbhaya was also asked why she did not travel in an auto, why did she go out in the night and not in the day? Victim shaming happens with every woman. The sad part is that a woman Delhi minister said, 'Her clothes are not torn'. I want the Police to conduct my polygraph test so that everything becomes clear."
On the viral video regarding the incident, she said: "When Bibhav saw that I had called the police, he brought the security personnel from the gate. As soon as they entered, he started making the video. That video is at least 8 to 10 minutes long, in which I am screaming and telling the security people how I was kicked and punched. Only a small portion, where abusive language was used, was selectively leaked to the media. Why won’t he give the original to the police to save himself? That is my question."
On party chief Arvind Kejriwal, Swati Maliwal said:"Despite everything that has happened, I have not received any call from Arvind ji nor has he met me. Arvind Ji is protecting the accused. Instructions have been given to everyone in the party to assassinate my character."
