'If only..': Maliwal remembers Sisodia amid protest supporting assault accused

By Chanshimla Varah

May 19, 2024

12:49 pm

What's the story

Ahead of the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) protest outside the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) headquarters, Swati Maliwal said things would have been different if Manish Sisodia was not in prison. "There was a time when we all came out on the streets to get justice for Nirbhaya. Today...we are out on the streets to save the accused," she wrote on X. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the protest on Saturday, following the arrest of his aide, Bibhav Kumar.

Context

Why does this story matter?

Maliwal has accused Kejriwal's aide, Kumar, of assaulting her when she went to meet the CM at his residence on May 13. In her complaint, Maliwal alleged that Kumar "slapped" her "seven to eight times" without any provocation and "brutally dragged" her while "kicking" her. The AAP has, however, alleged that Maliwal was sent by the BJP to "entrap" Kejriwal. The party even shared a video on X showing Maliwal leaving Kejriwal's home, seemingly unharmed.

Allegations

Kumar accused of tampering evidence

In her post on X, Maliwal also alleged that her party was shielding the accused, "who made the CCTV footage disappear and formatted the phone." Kumar was produced before a Delhi court following his arrest on Saturday. During the hearing, the Delhi Police alleged that Kumar deleted CCTV footage from the Chief Minister's residence and formatted his phone to destroy potential evidence. Subsequently, Kumar was sent to five days in police custody.

Twitter Post

Check out Maliwal's post here

किसी दौर में हम सब निर्भया को इंसाफ़ दिलाने के लिए सड़क पर निकलते थे, आज 12 साल बाद सड़क पर निकले हैं ऐसे आरोपी को बचाने के लिए जिसने CCTV फुटेज ग़ायब किए और Phone format किया?

काश इतना ज़ोर मनीष सिसोदिया जी के लिए लगाया होता। वो यहाँ होते तो शायद मेरे साथ इतना बुरा नहीं होता! pic.twitter.com/kXAAMLgPcg
— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) May 19, 2024

Accusations

BJP and AAP clash over alleged conspiracy

The BJP has described the incident involving Kumar as "shameful." Delhi BJP chief Sachdeva expressed relief over Kumar's arrest and urged Kejriwal to break his silence on the matter. The AAP has repeatedly claimed that Maliwal is being used as a pawn by the BJP since there is a case against her by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). The ACB filed a charge sheet against Maliwal in 2016 for allegedly making illegal appointments in the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW).