Bibhav Kumar, an aide to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has been arrested in connection with the alleged assault on Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal. According to Delhi Police, Kumar has not been cooperative in the investigation and formatted his phone a day before his arrest, citing a malfunction as the reason.
The incident allegedly took place on May 13 at the Chief Minister’s residence, where Maliwal claims she was assaulted by Kumar. The police have taken Kumar into custody for five days and suspect that evidence might have been tampered with, as the CCTV footage from the time of the alleged assault showed blank recordings.
The police are considering the assistance of forensic experts to retrieve data from Kumar's formatted phone. They have also seized the CCTV digital video recorder (DVR) from Kejriwal's residence and plan to take Kumar there to recreate the alleged crime scene.
Kumar, who was formerly the personal secretary to Kejriwal, was arrested on Saturday. Swati Maliwal accused him of beating her when she visited the Chief Minister's residence. However, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has refuted her claims, suggesting that Maliwal was coerced by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) into participating in a conspiracy against Kejriwal, as she is facing a corruption case.
In response to the allegations, AAP released a mobile phone video three days after the alleged incident. The video shows Maliwal arguing with security guards at the Chief Minister's residence, threatening them with police action, and daring them to throw her out.
Maliwal has alleged that the CCTV footage of the incident has disappeared and that edited videos are being released. She insists that the footage showing the alleged assault has been tampered with, raising questions about the handling of evidence and the integrity of the investigation.
