NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide, Bibhav Kumar, did not appear before the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Friday in connection with an alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal.
Following Kumar's no-show, the commission demanded an action taken report from the Delhi Police on the matter.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, NCW chief Rekha Sharma said a team of the commission had gone to Kumar's residence on Thursday to serve him a notice but he was not home.
"Kumar's wife refused to receive the notice. My team has gone to his residence again today with police and if he does not appear (before NCW) by tomorrow, then I will go (to his residence)," Sharma said.
The NCW chief said that they have been in contact with Swati Maliwal since the assault incident happened at the residence of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal.
"We have asked for an action-taken report from Police. FIR charges have been framed. A medical examination of Swati Maliwal has also been done today," she said.
Sharma further stated that Bibhav Kumar had not replied to the notice, adding, "The NCW team went today as well with the notice; an inquiry team will be sent if he does not reply to our notice."
On taking action against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, she said, "If Delhi CM is involved in this, police and NCW will take action against him."
On Monday morning, Maliwal went to the Civil Lines police station here and alleged that a member of Kejriwal's personal staff "assaulted" her at the chief minister's official residence, police officials said.
The NCW took suo moto cognizance of a media post titled "Ex-DCW chief Swati Maliwal accuses Arvind Kejriwal's personal secretary of assaulting her" where she claimed that she was brutally assaulted at the chief minister's residence by Kumar.
The Delhi Police on Thursday registered an FIR in connection with the alleged assault on Maliwal and took her to AIIMS for a medical check-up.
Kumar has been named as an accused in the case, officials said.
They also served a notice to him to join the probe into the case.
“He has been asked to come to the police station at 11 am and join the probe. Bibhav was not present at home,” said the sources, adding that the police teams are also tracking his movement.
According to sources, Maliwal, in her complaint, has alleged that while she was waiting in the drawing room at the Chief Minister's residence, his PS Bibhav Kumar came and, without any provocation, slapped her and also delivered punches to her abdomen.
"I entered the drawing room and was waiting there. Bibhav arrived and began to verbally abuse me. Without any provocation, he repeatedly slapped me... I yelled, pleading for him to stop and let me go, but he persisted in assaulting me while hurling insults in Hindi," the AAP MP said in the statement recorded by the Delhi Police's Special Cell.
"He issued threats, saying things like 'dekh lenge, nipta denge'. He struck me on the chest, face, stomach, and lower part of my body. I informed him that I was menstruating and in considerable pain, begging him to leave me alone. Eventually, I managed to escape and ran out of the room, calling the police for help," sources quoted Maliwal as saying in the statement.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has written to the company that has installed CCTVs at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's place to take footage of the incident in which party MP Swati Maliwal was allegedly assaulted at the Chief Minister's house, sources said.
All CCTV footage related to the incident will be scrutinized by the police, sources added. There are eight CCTV cameras installed outside Kejriwal's house.
At first, the police will make a timeline of the incident, following which they will establish the complete sequence of the day when Maliwal was assaulted.
The police will check the time at which Maliwal reached the Chief Minister's House on May 13 and will also be recording the statements of everyone they met at the gate of the CM's house.
According to the information, Swati Maliwal took a cab to the CM House on May 13. The police will also be recording the statements of the cab driver and of those who had met Maliwal at the CM's house.
Around 10 police teams are investigating the entire matter, out of which four are trying to find out the accused's location. As per available information, Kumar is in Punjab. Police teams from the North District and other teams have started investigating the case.
(With inputs from PTI, IANS, and ANI)
