‘Irony Died a Thousand Deaths’ says Swati Maliwal Over Kejriwal’s Call For “Fair Probe”

Paromita Das 

GG News Bureau

New Delhi, 23rd May. The AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, first time retaliated against Delhi Chief Minister and AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal. This comes after nine days after she claimed that Bibhav Kumar, a close aide, had beaten her at the Chief Minister’s house on May 13. Taking to X, she said that she doesn’t “one bit” believe Kejriwal’s fair probe demand in her case.

Additionally, Kejriwal addressed the Maliwal assault issue for the first time on Wednesday, May 22, following harsh criticism for his eight-day continuous silence and denial of media inquiries regarding the incident on May 13. It is important to remember that even though he refrained from discussing the specific incident until Wednesday, he had already shown his support for Bibhav Kumar, the assault suspect. Kumar went to Lucknow with him, and the Chief Minister stormed the BJP offices in the nation’s capital to protest against his incarceration in this case.

Later, on Wednesday, Kejriwal stated that police should fairly investigate both of the incident’s versions in the Maliwal assault case. But he went on to say that justice ought to be done and that he anticipates a thorough probe into the situation.

According to Kejriwal, his remarks could have an impact on the current proceedings because the topic is “sub-judice.” But I think there will be a fair investigation, he continued. There ought to be justice. The event has two variations. Justice should be served, and police should fairly investigate both stories.

For the first time, Maliwal took a direct shot at Kejriwal in reaction to his remark. She shot back, dismissing his call for a “fair probe” and claiming that Irony had died a thousand deaths. I don’t buy this one bit.”

“The Chief Minister, in whose drawing-room I was beaten up, has finally said that he wants free and fair investigation in the matter,” the angry writer wrote, “after unleashing the entire army of leaders and volunteers at me, calling me a BJP agent, assassinating my character, leaking edited videos, victim shaming me, roaming around with the accused, letting him re-enter the crime scene and tamper evidence and protesting in favour of the accused.”

After unleashing the entire army of leaders and volunteers at me, calling me a BJP agent, assassinating my character, leaking edited videos, victim shaming me, roaming around with the accused, letting him re enter the crime scene and tamper evidences and protesting in favour of… https://t.co/ybNwRqGq1K

— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) May 22, 2024

 

Additionally, earlier in the day, Maliwal said that there is “a lot of pressure” within the party to tarnish her reputation.

कल पार्टी के एक बड़े नेता का फोन आया। उसने बताया कैसे सब पर बहुत ज़्यादा दबाव है, स्वाति के ख़िलाफ़ गंदी बातें बोलनी हैं, उसकी पर्सनल फ़ोटोज़ लीक करके उसे तोड़ना है। ये बोला जा रहा है कि जो उसको सपोर्ट करेगा उसको पार्टी से निकाल देंगे। किसी को PC करने की और किसी को ट्वीट्स करने…

— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) May 22, 2024

 

She addressed X and stated, “I had a call yesterday from a senior party leader. He said to me that everyone is under a great deal of pressure to speak negatively about Swati and to break her by releasing her pictures. There are rumors that anyone who backs her will be kicked out of the party. One person has been tasked with completing PC work, and another has been assigned to tweet.

 

Updates of the case

Chief of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), Swati Maliwal, accused Arvind Kejriwal’s personal secretary of assaulting her on May 13. Maliwal has complained that she was “kicked” in the “chest, stomach, and pelvis area” by Kejriwal’s personal secretary, Bibhav Kumar, and that she was “slapped” “at least seven to eight times” while she “kicked” and “brutally dragged.” Maliwal detailed what happened on May 13 when she visited Chief Minister Kejriwal’s home in Civil Lines, per the Delhi Police FIR. In this instance, Kumar is under arrest by the Delhi Police.

According to Delhi Police’s remand application filed on Kumar’s behalf, the attack on the AAP MP may have been lethal. This was brought up in Delhi Police’s motion to the court, which asked for Bibhav Kumar, the accused, to be placed under police detention for seven days.

In their appeal for Bibhav Kumar’s remand, the police also stated that the man had confessed to formatting his Apple iPhone 15, and that in order to retrieve the data, the phone would need to be transferred to Mumbai. Interestingly, the Police claim that there is nothing visible on the CCTV from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s official residence during the May 13 attack.

Additionally, it was previously reported that Delhi Police would prosecute Bibhav Kumar with destroying evidence after he erased CCTV footage and reset his phone.

With the exception of DCW member Vandana Singh, the entire Aam Aadmi Party has launched a campaign against Maliwal, branding her claims “false” and calling her a “traitor and BJP agent.” Maliwal recently issued a warning to her party not to use such derogatory terms for her, threatening to sue Kejriwal and associates for every falsehood made against her.

Because both the accused and the victim have significant social influence, realizing the situation as it is gets more challenging. A layman must wait until the very end to determine whether this is a political vendetta or a grave concern for the safety of women. Or perhaps this case has some sinister secrets that need to be revealed. If a woman like Swati Maliwal can experience this kind of violence in a place as secure as the Delhi Chief Minister’s office, imagine what may occur to an average woman on the road? Undoubtedly, a prompt, impartial, and open investigation is desperately needed in this situation.