BJP leaders demand resignation of Delhi CM amid alleged assault on AAP MP Swati Maliwal

Swati Maliwal. Pic/PTI

BJP leaders in the national capital have come out in support of AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal and sought action in the matter amid heated talks surrounding the alleged assault on Maliwal by the close aide of Delhi Chief Minister. Further controversy erupted when Delhi BJP leader Shazia Ilmi revealed her personal experiences of dealing with Kumar's wrongdoing. Along with the alleged assault, the Delhi police also filed a formal complaint on Thursday night, citing Bibhav Kumar, the assistant to the Delhi chief minister. Per an ANI report, BJP's Shazia Ilmi said, "They are defending this for political gain. She (Swati Maliwal) has been beaten. Bibhav Kumar's job profile is to obey Arvind Kejriwal. I have also tolerated the misbehaviour of that person. Prashant Kumar and Yogendra Yadav were also kicked out by bouncers. But this time they have crossed limits. Is beating up a woman by your PA appropriate? The police have done well. They have reached for her help."

Further, she asked for Kejriwal's resignation from the CM post. "Kejriwal should resign immediately. It is not right for him to maintain that chair. After getting a female colleague beaten up, he has no reason to be the CM. He should apologize and resign, and there should be immediate criminal action. No one should think that this has been done by Bibhav. All of this has been done by Arvind Kejriwal. Bibhav has done this misbehaviour on the orders of Arvind Kejriwal," Ilmi alleged. President of the Delhi BJP Virendra Sachdeva questioned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's lack of response to the issue.

"Finally, Swati Maliwal has broken her silence and she has informed the police about this in her complaint. The police have also registered an FIR against Bibhav Kumar under sections of IPC. I want to ask only one question, Arvind Kejriwal. When such an incident happened with Swati Maliwal at your residence and you were present in the house at that time, why did you allow a woman to be tortured? Why did you not try to stop it? Why are you silent on this?" Sachdeva told ANI.

"You should immediately hand over Bibhav to the police. The entire country, the entire society, stands with Swati Maliwal and every woman with whom such an incident happens," he added. In response to the event, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa stated that although Swati Maliwal had complained about the mistreatment she had received, it was startling that women's rights advocate Arvind Kejriwal had still not taken any action against Bibhav Kumar.

On Thursday, the Civil Lines Police registered a case under sections 354, 506, 509, and 323, among other IPC sections, for offences including assault, unlawful force, derogatory words or gestures, and illegal intimidation are all examples of actions directed at a woman to upset her modesty. The action was taken based on a formal complaint lodged by Swati Maliwal on Thursday. In her complaint, Maliwal has alleged she was "slapped, hit on the stomach, and kicked" by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's PA, Bibhav Kumar.

Following the case, Maliwal was taken to AIIMS Delhi on Thursday night. According to ANI, the AAP MP reached there for a medical check-up. At around 03.40 am, she could be seen leaving the AIIMS hospital. Special Cell and Crime Branch teams have been deployed to arrest the accused. His location is being traced, and several teams of the Delhi Police are working on it, sources said.

(With Inputs from ANI)