Delhi woman minister smiling maligning my character: Swati Maliwal's fresh salvo against AAP
New Delhi/IBNS: In a fresh attack on her party, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal has accused a "Delhi woman minister" of maligning her character in reference to the assault charge she brought against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar, who has been arrested.
Delhi minister Atishi has been leading the party's charge against Maliwal, whom the former claims to be doing a conspiracy along with the BJP.
In an X post, Maliwal wrote, "Yesterday, I got a call from a senior leader of the party. He told me how there is a lot of pressure on everyone, they have to speak dirty things against Swati, they have to break her by leaking her personal photos. It is being said that whoever supports her will be expelled from the party.
"Someone has been given the duty of doing PC and someone else has been given the duty of tweeting. Someone's duty is to call volunteers sitting in America and get something out against me. Some beat reporters close to the accused have the duty of preparing some fake sting operations."
"You may raise an army of thousands, I will face it alone because the truth is with me. I am not angry with them, the accused is a very powerful man. Even the biggest leaders are afraid of him. No one has the courage to take a stand against him. I don't even expect anything from anyone.
"I feel sad that the woman minister of Delhi is smilingly maligning the character of an old female colleague of the party. I have started a fight for my self-respect, I will continue to fight until I get justice. I am completely alone in this fight but I will not give up!"
Swati Maliwal case and Bibhav Kumar's arrest
The Delhi Police on Saturday arrested Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's personal secretary Bibhav Kumar for allegedly assaulting AAP MP Swati Maliwal.
Kumar, who was detained by the cops in the afternoon, was arrested later from the Chief Minister's residence.
Maliwal has accused Kumar of assaulting her when she went to meet Kejriwal at the latter's residence.
Maliwal was allegedly assaulted by Bibhav Kumar at the Chief Minister's residence in Delhi's Civil Lines area on Monday.
Delhi Police had confirmed they received two calls from an unknown person within Arvind Kejriwal's residence but from a phone number registered to Maliwal alerting them to the harassment.
Maliwal later appeared at a police station in the area but left without filing a complaint.
Maliwal, a former NCW chairperson, recorded her statement with Delhi Police on Thursday. This was hours after the National Commission for Women issued a summons to Kumar.
In the complaint, Maliwal narrated the sequence of events at the Chief Minister's residence where she was waiting in the drawing room to meet Kejriwal.
Maliwal wrote, "I was informed that he (Kejriwal) was present in the house and I was told to wait in the drawing room. I went into the drawing room and sat on the sofa and was waiting for the CM, when suddenly, the PS of the CM, Bibhav Kumar barged into the room.
"He started screaming at me without any provocation and even started abusing me. I was stunned…and I reacted by telling him to stop talking to me like this and to call the CM."
Maliwal added, "He slapped me seven to eight times at least while I continued screaming…In order to protect me, I pushed him away with my legs. At that time, he pounced on me, brutally dragged me and deliberately pulled my shirt up. My shirt buttons opened and my shirt flew up. I landed on the floor while hitting my head on the centre table…
"Bhbhav Kumar did not relent and attacked me by kicking me in my chest, stomach and pelvis areas with his leg… I was in extreme pain and kept asking him to stop… I repeatedly told him that I am having my periods and that he should please let go of me as I am in extreme pain."