"No complaint received yet": Delhi Police over alleged assault against Swati Maliwal
May 13, 2024
New Delhi [India], May 13 : Delhi Police said on Monday that no complaint has been received in connection with the alleged assault against Aam Aadmi Party MP Swati Maliwal at the Chief Minister's residence.
Speaking to ANI, Delhi North DCP Manoj Kumar Meena said that following a PCR call on Monday morning, MP Maliwal came to Civil Lines police station but left without filing a complaint.
"At around 9.34 am, we received a PCR call wherein the caller said that she had been assaulted inside the CM residence. Accordingly, local police responded to the call and SHO and the local police reached the spot. After some time, MP Swati Maliwal came to the police station Civil Lines. She left the police station without giving any complaints. In this matter till now, no complaints have been received," DCP Meena said while speaking to ANI on Monday.
No official statements were made on the alleged incident, neither by the ruling party, MP Maliwal, nor the CM's office.
However, the BJP came down heavily on the AAP and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal following the alleged incident against his party legislator at his official residence.
BJP leader Amit Malviya pointed out MP Maliwal's alleged absence at the time of Kejriwal's arrest earlier in March this year.
"AAP RS MP and former DCW chief Swati Maliwal alleges that Delhi CM's PA assaulted her. A call was made from the Delhi CM's house. Remember, Swati Maliwal had maintained radio silence on Kejriwal's arrest. She was not even in India at that time and didn't return for a long time," Malviya said in a post on X.
BJP leader Bansuri Swaraj condemned the alleged incident and questioned the Delhi CM about his guarantee of women's safety in the national capital.
"We got shameful news today that, after getting instigated by Arvind Kejriwal, his OSD has beaten and misbehaved with one of their party MP Swati Maliwal. She also made a call to the Delhi Police and complaint regarding the same. The incident took place in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at his residence. The BJP strongly condemns this incident," Bansuri Swaraj said while addressing a press conference in Delhi on Monday.
"If it is true that after getting instigated by Arvind Kejriwal, his OSD has beaten up and misbehaved with one of their party MP Swati Maliwal, in the presence of the Delhi CM, then the BJP strongly condemns this. It is shameful and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal needs to answer that if their party MP is not safe in his presence, then how will he protect the women of Delhi?" she asked.
Swaraj also demanded an answer from the Delhi CM while raising concerns about women's safety in the national capital.
"We want an answer from Arvind Kejriwal that it is his responsibility that one of your party workers, who was also the DCW Chief, if she is not safe in your presence. Then how will you protect the women of Delhi?" she said.
Responding to the incident, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said, "If the former DCW chief and Rajya Sabha MP (Swati Maliwal) is not safe in the CM house, then the question is if she was beaten up by the family or party, PA or someone else."
"A few other people from the family seem to be joining politics in the time to come, so will this tension keep escalating when Arvind Kejriwal goes back to jail on June 2. It is clear that not everything is fine in AAP," he added.
Following the alleged incident against MP Maliwal, AAP defector and BJP leader Shazia Ilmi also claimed to be a "victim of misconduct" by the CM's aide.
"There is dirt within AAP and I know all about it as I was formerly with the party. I know how their inner party relations and internal dynamics work. The dynamics keep changing from time to time. This isn't the first such incident, as, in 2018, former chief secretary Anshu Prakash was similarly assaulted at the CM's residence. Kejriwal denied the claim at the time but two of his MLAs were charge-sheeted in the case," Ilmi said in a self-made video on Monday.
"All that Bibhav knows is to misbehave with people or humiliate them. I was also a victim of his misconduct. He is rogue and anything is possible in this party," the BJP leader said.