AAP MP, Swati Maliwal claims assault by Kejriwal's sectretary

On 10th May, the gloomy forecast for the Aam Aadmi Party turned bright, with the SC granting interim bail to party leader Arvind Kejriwal for the purpose of election campaigning. The bail comes with two main conditions - (1) Kejriwal cannot visit the Office of the Chief Minister (thus curbing his power as the Chief Minister of Delhi), (2) He must surrender on June 2, the day after polling ends for the General Elections, and the day his interim bail expires. 

As Kejriwal walked out of Tihar Jail, he was met with thousands of supporters bursting firecrackers and distributing sweets. He directed the crowd to gather at Connaught Place the following day, where he lashed out at the BJP for its ‘dictatorial’ ruling and political intimidation. 

The celebration in the AAP camp was short lived, however, with prominent AAP MP Swati Maliwal, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP of the Aam Aadmi Party, alleging that Kejriwal’s close aide, Bibhav Kumar, verbally, physically and sexually assaulted her. The Delhi police filed an FIR three days after the incident at Kejriwal’s residence. An AIIMS report confirms that she suffered bruises on her cheek and thigh. 

The AAP holds the position that Swati Maliwal was used as a political pawn in a conspiracy masterminded by the BJP. Kejriwal has not yet publicly spoken about the incident, but many allege that he has taken Kumar’s side. 

While Swati claims brutal phsyical assault, her own party has released CCTV footage of her being escorted out of Kejriwal’s residence on that day, calm and unaffected.

It's important for us as a society to grant justice to women who suffer from such assault while as an electorate, we must call out the exploitation of such sensitive matters for electoral gains.