Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh visited party MP Swati Maliwal at her residence in New Delhi on Wednesday. This comes a day after Singh stated that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's personal assistant, Bibhav Kumar, 'misbehaved' with Maliwal and Kejriwal directed stern action on the matter.
Singh was accompanied by Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Member Vandana. Maliwal was former chairperson of the DCW.
On Monday, AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Maliwal alleged that a member of Arvind Kejriwal's personal staff "assaulted' her at the chief minister's official residence. However, she did not file a formal complaint. A day after this, Sanjay Singh, in a press conference, confirmed the allegations and said Kejriwal's Private Secretary Bibhav Kumar "misbehaved" with Maliwal and the AAP supremo will take strict action in the matter.
"Yesterday, Maliwal had gone to meet Arvind Kejriwal at his residence. While she was waiting to meet him in the drawing room, Bibhav Kumar misbehaved with her. This is a highly condemnable incident. Kejriwal has taken cognisance of it and will take strict action in the incident," Singh said.
This led to a massive controversy in the national capital, with the BJP demanding an immediate FIR.
Targeting the AAP chief on the issue, the Delhi BJP leaders asserted that either Kejriwal should sack his assistant, or he himself should quit as Chief Minister. BJP leaders and workers, including activists of its Mahila Morcha, staged a protest on Wednesday near the Delhi chief minister's residence, demanding a probe into the incident.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva questioned the silence of Kejriwal over the alleged incident and demanded action against those guilty.
"It is a matter of respect and honour of a woman who has been the chief of the Delhi Commission for Women. We are here to support her. AAP leader Sanjay Singh has admitted the incident. Why is not Kejriwal lodging a police complaint against the person who is involved in it," Sachdeva asked.
BJP national spokesperson Shazia Ilmi, who was formerly with the Aam Aadmi Party, expressed concern over Maliwal's safety and questioned Kejriwal if she was being intimidated and pressured into reaching "some kind of a compromise".
The National Commission for Women (NCW) said it will be sending an enquiry team to look into the alleged assault of the Rajya Sabha MP. The NCW also stated that it will send a formal letter to the Delhi Police to send an action taken report (ATR) in the matter.
