In the Swati Maliwal assault case, the Delhi Police on July 16 filed a chargesheet against Bibhav Kumar, an aide to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is presently in judicial custody. The chargesheet alleges that he tampered with CCTV footage from both the CM’s residence and his own house, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The chargesheet has been filed under several sections of the Indian Penal Code against Bibhav Kumar, including:
Section 201 for causing disappearance of evidence of offence,
Section 308 for attempt to commit culpable homicide,
Section 341 for wrongful restraint,
Section 354 for assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty,
Section 354 B for assault or use of criminal force against a woman with intent to disrobe her,
Section 506 for criminal intimidation,
Section 509 for insult caused to the modesty of a woman by the use of any words, gestures or object intending to do the same. Additionally, the police have invoked Section 204 for the destruction of evidence against Bibhav Kumar.
Sources indicate that forensic reports in the case are still pending. “The probe in the case is based on statements of witnesses, technical and forensic analysis. Forensic reports in the case are still awaited,” a senior police officer told the media.
The witnesses in the case also include security staff posted in Kejriwal’s residence. The Delhi Police took Bibhav Kumar to Mumbai to recover alleged deleted data from his phone and other evidence.
Know all about Swati Maliwal assault case:
Swati Maliwal, an AAP MP in Rajya Sabha, accused Kumar of assaulting her on May 13 at the Delhi Chief Minister’s residence. Kumar was arrested on May 18 and has since been in judicial custody.
In the FIR, Swati Maliwal had said, “He (Bibhav Kumar) slapped me 7-8 times at least while I continued screaming. I pushed him away to protect myself. At that time he pounced on me, brutally dragged me and deliberately pulled my shirt up.”
“Bibhav Kumar did not relent and attacked me by kicking me repeatedly in my chest, stomach and pelvic area with his legs. I was in extreme pain and kept telling him to stop,” Swati Maliwal added.
The case has led to infighting within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), with Maliwal stating that she won’t be resigning from her post.
