NCW summons Delhi CM’s aide Bibhav Kumar over Swati Maliwal’s assault allegations
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Days after the emergence of serious allegations of assault against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has intervened, summoning Kumar for a hearing on the matter.
The NCW has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report titled ‘DCW chief Swati Maliwal accuses Arvind Kejriwal’s personal secretary of assaulting her’. According to the post, Maliwal, a Rajya Sabha MP from Delhi and former chief of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), had alleged that the private secretary of the Delhi chief minister had “assaulted her at the chief minister’s residence”.
“In view of the above, the commission has scheduled a hearing in this matter on May 17, 2024, at 11 am. All parties concerned are required to appear before the commission in-person,” the notice issued by the NCW stated.
The controversy unfolded when Maliwal approached the police alleging assault by Kumar at Kejriwal’s residence. Although Maliwal contacted the police control room (PCR) and visited the Civil Lines police station, no official complaint was filed. The police records indicate two daily diary entries related to Maliwal’s allegations that she was assaulted on Kejriwal’s instructions.
Initially, both Maliwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) refrained from commenting on the incident. However, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh later addressed the media, declaring that the party would take “strict action” against Kumar.
The situation escalated when, on Thursday morning, Kumar was spotted alongside Sanjay Singh and Kejriwal at the Lucknow airport, where they were scheduled to address a press conference with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. This development reignited the controversy surrounding the assault allegations.
While Kejriwal chose not to address queries regarding Maliwal, Sanjay Singh emphasised the party’s stance, asserting, “AAP is our family; the party has made its position clear… Don’t play political games on this issue.”
