Delhi Police Forms SIT To Investigate Swati Maliwal Case

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been established to probe the Swati Maliwal case, following accusations by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s former personal secretary, Bibhav Kumar, for assault. Police officials stated that the SIT is led by North Delhi’s Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) […]

Delhi Police Forms SIT To Investigate Swati Maliwal Case
by Nisha Srivastava - May 21, 2024, 8:45 am

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been established to probe the Swati Maliwal case, following accusations by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s former personal secretary, Bibhav Kumar, for assault. Police officials stated that the SIT is led by North Delhi’s Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Anjitha Chepyala, who is overseeing the investigation. The team also includes three inspector-rank officers, including the officer from Civil Lines Police Station where the case was filed.

The SIT will present its findings to senior officials after completing the investigation, according to the police.

On Monday, the Delhi Police took Bibhav Kumar to the drawing room of Kejriwal’s residence, where the alleged assault on Maliwal occurred, to reconstruct the events of the morning of May 13. The police documented Kumar’s answers, mapped them sequentially, and took photographs of the crime scene, officials reported.

Sources within the Delhi Police revealed that both the accused and the victim were brought to the crime scene to recreate the incident, and their accounts are now being analyzed. Officials also visited Bibhav Kumar’s residence as part of the investigation.

The police are attempting to retrieve Bibhav Kumar‘s mobile data, hoping it will provide new leads. They are also investigating whether the CCTV footage was tampered with, as alleged by Swati Maliwal. On Sunday evening, the police seized the DVR containing Kejriwal’s CCTV footage and are working to recover the missing portions.

Earlier, on Saturday, Bibhav Kumar was arrested in connection with the alleged assault on Maliwal. He was presented before the Tis Hazari Court, which remanded him to police custody for five days.

In her complaint, Maliwal alleged that Bibhav “slapped” her “at least seven to eight times” while she “continued screaming” and “brutally dragged” her while “kicking” her in her “chest, stomach, and pelvis area.” Following his arrest, Bibhav was taken to Delhi’s Tis Hazari Court, which remanded him to police custody for five days.

On Friday, Bibhav filed a counter-complaint against Maliwal, accusing her of gaining ‘unauthorized entry’ into the Chief Minister’s Civil Lines residence and ‘verbally abusing’ him.