'Kejriwal Was At Home When I Was Assaulted, He Protects Accused': Swati Maliwal Explains May 13 Incident (Photo screengrab on X ANI)

In the latest exclusive interview given to the news agency ANI, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, while talking about her experience in Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kerjriwal”s residence, said that she is “not giving clean-chit to anyone.” The AAP leader had alleged that the close aide and personal assistant of the Delhi Chief Minister physically assaulted her inside the home.

However, during the interview, Swati noted that Kejriwal was at home when she endured the alleged ordeal by Bibhav Kumar. She also alleged that the chief minister tried to protect hid aide. 

Explaining the May 13th incident, Swati said that she went to the chief minister”s home to meet Arvind Kejriwal. The staff asked her to wait in the drawing room. They also told her that Kejriwal is at home and was coming to meet her. “Meanwhile, his PS Bibhav Kumar came and started abusing me, and he abused me 7-8 times,” Swati claimed. When I tried to push him, she continued, Bibhav Kumar grabbed my leg and dragged me down. “My head hit the centre table and I fell down. He started kicking me. I was screaming for help but no one came to help me,” she said.

The AAP MP then said that she called the police and when Bibhav Kumar realised that she had called the police, he went out and called the security. “They made a 50-second doctored video viral, they tampered with the evidence,” she alleged.

Regarding the allegations of the absence of an appointment to meet the chief minister, Swati said she rarely takes appointment. “Whenever I have gone to his (CM Kejriwal”s) residence, I have never taken an appointment…They said that I was trespassing, so I wanted to know that if I was trespassing then they would have stopped me at the gate itself. If someone doesn”t come with an appointment, will you beat him up?…”” she said.

Referring to the AAP leaders accusations that the Swati conspired with BJP against the chief minister, the AAP MP said when she complained about the incident, the whole AAP was brought forward against her and repeatedly made character assassination. She says she also suffered victim shaming. “Edited videos were leaked in the media. It is being said that CCTV footage has gone missing…When I called “112” I was in pain and trauma, I thought he (Bibhav Kumar) might hit me again…An investigation is ongoing and I would like to participate in it,” she lamented.

Swati further stated that victim shaming happens with every woman. Nirbhaya, the 2012 Delhi-rape victim, was also asked why she did not travel in auto, why did she go out in the night and not in the day? The sad part is that woman Delhi minister said, “Her clothes are not torn”. I want Police to conduct my polygraph test so that everything becomes clear, she said.

Delhi Education Minister and AAP leader Atishi Marlena, noting the footage had said that Swati was not seen physically assaulted in the video and that her clothes were not torn either, arguing that it was her fabricated story.

On the allegations of the delay in filing the complaint, she said she was told if she filed the complaint, the party would term her as an agent of BJP.

When asked about the support she received from within the party, Swati said that now she is very sad and has been isolated. “The whole machinery and troll mechanism has been unleased against me,” she said.

She stated that despite all the issues to date, she has not received any call from Kejriwal nor has he met her. Swati also accused that the Delhi Chief Minister is protecting the accused and instructions have been given to every person in the entire party to assassinate her character.

Commenting on the statement of Kejriwal that he wants a free and fair investigation into the incident, Swati said, “They conducted an out-of-court trial and I was found guilty. The party is trying to convict me, so how can they say that there should be a free and fair investigation? I made only one call and one complaint, after that I remained silent for so many days because I wanted a free and fair investigation. Every day some doctored video, some doctored CCTV footage is shown, they sometimes say I am an agent of BJP, does character assassination, threatens me, then how will there be a free and fair investigation?.”

Announcing that she is standing by her charges against Kejriwal”s aide Bibhav Kumar, Swati stated that she is ready to take a polygraph test. 

She also expressed her disappointment over the lack of women”s support from her party when she faced the alleged ordeal. “I feel very sad. I believe that every woman should stand with women…My career is over, I am ruined. In such a situation, why would I lie? At such a time, the women of AAP are not standing with me, makes me feel very bad…” she said.