Nirmala Sitharaman, the Union Finance Minister, has called upon Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to address and apologize for the Swati Maliwal case. Swati Maliwal, a colleague of Kejriwal and a Rajya Sabha MP from AAP, alleged that a personal staff member of the Delhi CM assaulted her, triggering a controversy during the Lok Sabha elections.
Sitharaman criticized Kejriwal for not taking a stance on the issue and accused him of shamelessly moving around with the accused staff member, Bibhav Kumar. While AAP's Sanjay Singh promised action on Maliwal's case, Kumar was recently seen with Kejriwal in Lucknow.
According to Maliwal's statement to the police, she was sitting in the drawing room when Kumar allegedly entered and slapped her multiple times. The police have registered an FIR against Kumar under IPC sections 354, 506, 509, and 323, including charges of assault with intent to outrage her modesty, criminal intimidation, and acts intended to insult and assault.
Maliwal also posted on X that she fled the CM's residence and called the police. After the police team left her house, she recorded her statement with the Delhi Police and urged the BJP not to politicize the issue. "I hope appropriate action is taken. What happened to me was extremely bad," she said.
Maliwal, on Friday, appeared at the Tis Hazari Court in Delhi to have her statement recorded under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Under this section, a magistrate can record a person's statement during a police investigation before the trial.
The National Commission for Women has demanded an action report from the Delhi Police. NCW chief Rekha Sharma stated, "If the Delhi CM is involved, both the police and NCW will take action against him."
Swati Maliwal Appears in Court Following Assault Allegations
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Slams Over Kejriwal's Silence on Swati Maliwal Assault