Lucknow/New Delhi: The row over the alleged assault on AAP MP Swati Maliwal deepens as National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter, while a team of Delhi Police reached Maliwal's residence on Thursday to seek details of the incident.
AAP Chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, meanwhile, has chosen to remain silent on the matter as he dodged any questions around it, during a joint press conference of the INDIA bloc in Lucknow.
On the morning of May 13, Maliwal went to the Civil Lines police station in the national capital and alleged that a member of Kejriwal's personal staff "assaulted" her at the chief minister's official residence. Police have not yet received a formal complaint. The NCW has issued summons to Kejriwal's Personal Secretary Bibhav Kumar to appear before it at 11 am on Friday.
Kejriwal refuses to talk
Arvind Kejriwal refused to comment on the Swati Maliwal 'assault' row at the INDIA bloc's joint press conference in Lucknow on Thursday, where Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said there are "more important things" to discuss. AAP leader Sanjay Singh, also present at the press conference, said there should be no politics on the issue.
He then targeted the BJP government and raised the issue of a Manipuri woman being paraded naked, the Prajwal Revanna sex scandal and Maliwal being 'beaten' up by police during protests by wrestlers when she was the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief.
When Kejriwal was asked a question over the alleged assault of Maliwal, Yadav took the microphone, and said, "There are more important things than that". He then unfolded a piece of paper and said, "BJP people are not with anyone, it is a 'gang' that lodges false cases".
Sanjay Singh then took the microphone from the SP chief, and said the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should answer for atrocities against women during the party's rule. "The entire country is sad till date that wife of a Kargil veteran was paraded naked in Manipur and the PM of India remained silent. Prajwal Revanna raped thousands of women, and he was allowed to flee from the country by the BJP," he alleged.
Singh, who had met Maliwal at her residence on Wednesday, said, "The AAP is our family. The party has made its view clear. I want that BJP and PM should also answer on the issues I have kept before you. He (PM) should answer on the issue of Swati Maliwal, who was dragged and beaten when she went to seek justice for the female wrestlers. I just want to say, don't play political games on the issues".
Delhi Police at Maliwal's Residence
A Delhi Police's Special Cell team, including senior officers, reached Maliwal's residence on Thursday. Additional Commissioner of Police Pramod Kumar Kushwaha, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police along with other officers came to Maliwal’s residence. Earlier, DCP (North) Manoj Kumar Meena had said that one police control room (PCR) call at 9:34 a.m. on Monday had been received at Civil Lines police station from a woman saying she had been assaulted at CM House.
The PCR call stated that "the woman is saying that she is at the CM's house and has been assaulted by CM's PA Bibhav Kumar", the note of the PCR call written by a policeman read. DCP Meena said that in response to the PCR call, the Station House Officer (SHO) along with other personnel reached the location, which was the Chief Minister's residence. However, they found that she was not present there. “After some time, MP Madam came to the Civil Lines police station, however, she (Maliwal) left stating she would give a complaint later," said the DCP.
NCW takes cognisance
The NCW has taken suo motu cognisance and issued summons to Kejriwal's Personal Secretary Bibhav Kumar to appear before it on Friday in connection with the allegations levelled by Maliwal.
"The National Commission for Women had taken suo moto cognisance of the media post captioned "DCW chief Swati Maliwal accuses Arvind Kejriwal's personal secretary of assaulting her", wherein it was reported that Swati Mailwal, RS MP and former DCW chief has alleged that the Pvt. Secretary of Arvind Kejriwal had brutally assaulted her at CM's residence," read the notice to Kumar.
The NCW further in the notice said that the Commission "in view of the above has scheduled a hearing in the matter on May 17 (Friday) at 11 a.m. wherein you are required to appear before the Commission in-person." (With agency inputs)
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