"Assault Could Have Been Fatal": Cops In Swati Maliwal Case

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar has been sent to police custody for five days for allegedly assaulting AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal.

In a late-night hearing yesterday, Delhi Police - while seeking Bibhav Kumar's custody - contended before the court that it was a "serious case" where the "brutal assault" could have turned "fatal".

"This is a very serious case where a Member of Parliament, a public figure, has been brutally assaulted which could have been fatal. Despite specific questions, the accused has not cooperated in the investigation and has been evasive in his replies," said remand application signed by Anjitha Chepyala, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, North Delhi.

Police said custodial interrogation is required to find out the motive behind brutal attack and to ascertain the "conspiracy angles".

The remand plea said they asked for the phone password of Mr Kumar, who had been working with the chief minister since 2015, but it was not given to them. Alleging that the official had destroyed evidence, they said the cellphone was formatted in Mumbai and he had claimed he had done so because it had hung.

Laying out the reasons for seeking his custody, the police said he would be taken to Mumbai and an expert would also be needed to unlock the phone, which is not possible without his presence.

Police said that Mr Kumar could threaten witnesses and tamper evidence as he was in a "position of command"

"His presence at the scene of the crime (SOC) raises a strong possibility of tampering with crucial evidence, including electronic evidence. The accused is an influential person and having worked more than nine years in an authoritative position can influence, and pressure the witnesses in the CM house," it said.

Mr Kumar was arrested yesterday for allegedly assaulting AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal at the chief minister's residence on Monday. Ms Maliwal had alleged Mr Kumar had kicked her in the chest, stomach and pelvic area and had brutally "dragged her and pulled her shirt up".

In her FIR, Ms Maliwal alleged that she was brutally assaulted by Bibhav Kumar when she went to the Chief Minister's residence. She alleged that she was kicked, punched and abused by Mr Kumar, who is the personal secretary to Mr Kejriwal. The 39-year-old also said that her clothes were torn, and she received severe injuries on her head and her leg during the assault.

But in the new CCTV footage, Swati Maliwal does not appear to have any injuries and is even seen trying to free herself from the policewoman's grip.

The Aam Aadmi Party and Swati Maliwal have been trading bitter barbs as each pushed back against the other over the latter's claims.

"The video of May 17 shows that she is not able to walk properly. But even immediately after the so-called serious injuries, in this video she is comfortably sitting on the sofa and dialling numbers on her phone. She is seen threatening police and Bibhav," AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said in a post on X in Hindi.