NEW DELHI: AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal has reportedly received rape and death threats amid the ongoing row with her party over an alleged assault by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s aide, Bibhav Kumar. Maliwal also criticised YouTuber Dhruv Rathee for releasing a “one-sided video” against her, claiming it escalated threats.
“After the leaders and volunteers of my party orchestrated a campaign of character assassination, victim shaming and fanning of emotions against me, I have been getting rape and death threats. This got further exacerbated when YouTuber Dhruv Rathee posted a one-sided video against me,” Maliwal tweeted on Sunday. She condemned Rathee for acting like an “AAP spokespersons” alleging victim-shaming, causing “extreme abuse and threats.” She said she had attempted to contact Rathee to present her side but was ignored.
Rathee’s video, posted on May 22, attempted to ‘explain’ the assault case, showing snippets of news articles. He mentioned that Maliwal accused Kumar of assaulting her, but CCTV footage showed her behaving rudely with security staff at the CM’s residence. Rathee questioned Maliwal’s narrative, showing footage of her limping versus walking without trouble.
In response, Maliwal highlighted several “facts” Rathee missed, including the party’s initial acknowledgement of the incident, a medical report showing injuries, selective vidweo releases, and the accused’s phone being formatted.
She questioned why the accused, arrested at the crime scene, was allowed back, suggesting evidence tampering. Maliwal, known for advocating women’s rights, dismissed claims of BJP influence. She also accused her party of intimidating her to withdraw her complaint.
Maliwal stated she reported the threats to Delhi Police, urging strong action. She warned that if anything happened to her, the instigators were clear.