Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has expressed shock over Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s silence regarding the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal. Nirmala Sitharaman called the incident, which reportedly took place at the Chief Minister’s residence, “shameful.”
“It is shocking that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has not spoken a word about his party MP Swati Maliwal who was misbehaved with and beaten up in the CM’s residence. The CM has not acted, responded, or spoken about it,” Nirmala Sitharaman stated during a media briefing in Kolkata.
Nirmala Sitharaman further criticized Arvind Kejriwal after his aide, Bibhav Kumar, who allegedly assaulted Swati Maliwal, was seen with the Delhi Chief Minister at Lucknow airport on Wednesday. “I am told that in Uttar Pradesh, he (Kejriwal) was seen walking around with the accused… It is utterly shameful that a woman who headed the Delhi Commission for Women is treated like this,” she added.
The Delhi Police registered an FIR on Thursday following a complaint by Swati Maliwal, who has accused Bibhav Kumar of slapping, kicking, and beating her with a stick, as well as punching her in the stomach. The FIR was filed after a Delhi Police team recorded Swati Maliwal’s statement at her residence.
The incident came to light two days after Maliwal visited the Civil Lines police station, alleging that a member of Arvind Kejriwal’s personal staff had assaulted her at the Chief Minister’s official residence. A day later, AAP leader Sanjay Singh confirmed the allegations in a press conference, stating that Bibhav Kumar had “misbehaved” with Maliwal and that Arvind Kejriwal would take strict action in the matter.
