"Facing Corruption Case, Blackmailed By BJP": AAP On Swati Maliwal Row

AAP leader Atishi on Saturday claimed party MP Swati Maliwal, who has accused Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar of assaulting her, is facing charges in an illegal recruitment case and she was "blackmailed" by the BJP to become part of the "conspiracy" against the Chief Minister.

It has been 24 hours since Mr Kumar filed a complaint against Ms Maliwal and police are yet to register an FIR. The Delhi Police is a "tool of the BJP" and is targeting Mr Kejriwal before the Lok Sabha elections in the national capital, charged Atishi, also a cabinet minister in the city government.

In turn, the Delhi BJP accused AAP leaders of circulating "edited" videos to tarnish Ms Maliwal's image.

Talking to PTI Videos, Atishi alleged that Ms Maliwal went to the chief minister's residence on Monday without an appointment.

"Why did she barge in? Why did she land up at the chief minister's residence without an appointment? Arvind Kejriwal was busy that day and did not meet her. If he had met her that day, the allegations levelled against Bibhav Kumar could have been levelled against him," Atishi said.

She said Ms Maliwal was made the face of this "conspiracy" by the BJP.

"The BJP has a pattern. First they file cases and then they threaten to send leaders to jail. Swati Maliwal is facing charges in an illegal recruitment case registered by the Anti-Corruption Branch. An FIR has been registered in the case and it is at a stage where she could be arrested.

"The BJP blackmailed Maliwal and made her the face of this conspiracy," the AAP leader charged.

Ms Maliwal has alleged that Mr Kumar assaulted her at Mr Kejriwal's official residence on Monday, slapping and kicking her in the chest and abdomen, charges rejected as "baseless" by the AAP.

The Delhi Police on Thursday registered an FIR in connection with the alleged assault and arrested Mr Kumar from Mr Kejriwal's residence on Saturday.

Atishi said if the Delhi Police is impartial, it should also register an FIR on Kumar's complaint against Ms Maliwal.

"Will the Delhi Police register a case of trespassing, breach of security and obstructing a government servant from discharging his duty against her? If the Delhi Police is impartial, it should register an FIR on Bibhav's complaint. Will it act on his complaint the same way it did on Maliwal's complaint?" she asked.

"Her call records should be looked into and analysed (to see) which BJP leaders she was in touch with," she said.

Meanwhile, another purported video of Ms Maliwal from the day of the incident surfaced online.

In the video, a woman security personnel is seen holding Ms Maliwal by her arm while escorting her out of Mr Kejriwal's residence. As they exit from the main gate, Ms Maliwal frees her arm from the security personnel's grip.

The first video from the chief minister's residence, in which Ms Maliwal is seen arguing with security personnel, surfaced on social media on Friday.

Later, Atishi said at a press conference that the second video shows that allegations levelled by Ms Maliwal are "false".

"Swati Maliwal wrote in the complaint that she was unable to walk and was screaming in pain after the assault. She wrote that her head hit the centre table and she sustained injuries.

"The CCTV footage from the gate of Kejriwal's residence shows that Maliwal was walking properly and pushed a female police official away. She can be seen walking properly. Her clothes are not torn and she is not limping," Atishi said.

The minister said Kumar had filed an application in Tis Hazari court on Friday demanding a copy of the FIR.

"Yesterday, the court kept asking the police to submit a copy of the FIR but the police did not submit it. Today, the police filed an application saying that the FIR is extremely sensitive and they cannot share it with the accused.

"The BJP's police is saying that we cannot give it to the court and the accused. The FIR is with the media for the last two days but it cannot be shared with the accused. This shows that this conspiracy is being orchestrated at the highest level of the BJP," she alleged.

Atishi said Kumar had filed a complaint 24 hours ago but no FIR has been registered so far.

"The Delhi Police is only a tool of the BJP and is targeting Mr Kejriwal before the elections," she said.

"Is the breach of the chief minister's security not a serious issue? Is trespassing his residence and obstructing police personnel from performing their duty not a serious offence?" she asked.

The minister said they have made all footage available to the Delhi Police.

She also questioned the delay in Ms Maliwal's medical examination.

"Why did she delay the medical (examination)? In the video that emerged yesterday, she is telling police personnel that she would snatch their jobs. She is challenging them in a loud voice. But this is a topic of unique medical research for the country where the impact of injuries is visible after three days," she added.

After registering the FIR on Thursday, the Delhi Police took Ms Maliwal for a medical examination at midnight at AIIMS Delhi. She came out of the hospital around 3:15 am.

According to her medico-legal certificate (MLC) from AIIMS, Ms Maliwal has "bruises over proximal left leg dorsal aspect of approx size 3x2 cm and right cheek elbow below right eye of approx size 2x2 cm".

Targeting the AAP, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said it is regrettable that "edited" videos are being circulated on social media groups since Friday in an attempt to "defame" Ms Maliwal who is a member of the Aam Aadmi Party.

He also said that now that Kumar has been arrested by police, many "dirty pages" of AAP's politics will become public.

As part of its probe into the incident, the Delhi Police on Friday took Ms Maliwal to Mr Kejriwal's residence to recreate the crime scene. Her statement was also recorded before a magistrate at Tis Hazari court.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)