Former AAP leader Shazia Ilmi on Thursday said like Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, she too has tolerated misbehaviour when she was in the Arvind Kejriwal-led party and “beating is very normal there”. She claimed that even leaders like Yogendra Yadav were “kicked out by bouncers” and, now, the former DCW chairperson has been beaten up.
“… she (Swati Maliwal) has been beaten… Bibhav Kumar’s job profile is to obey Arvind Kejriwal. I have also tolerated the misbehaviour of that person…Beating is very normal there. Prashant Kumar and Yogendra Yadav were also kicked out by bouncers. But, this time they have crossed limits… Is beating up a woman by your PA appropriate? The police have done well. They have reached for her help,” she told news agency ANI.
Launching an attack on the AAP, specifically on the Delhi chief minister, Ilmi said Kejriwal should apologise and resign and he has no reason to continue in this position after “getting a female colleague beaten up”. She said Bibhav Kumar, who Maliwal has accused of assault and misbehaviour, only follows the AAP convener’s orders and no one should think that he has done this of his own accord.
“…Kejriwal should resign immediately. It is not right for him to maintain that chair… After getting a female colleague beaten up, Kejriwal has no reason to be the CM. He should apologise and resign, and there should be immediate criminal action. No one should think that this has been done by Bibhav. All of this has been done by Arvind Kejriwal. Bibhav has done this misbehaviour on the orders of Arvind Kejriwal…” she said.
Hours ago, in connection with the alleged assault, Maliwal submitted a formal complaint to the Delhi Police following which an FIR was filed under IPC sections pertaining to outraging the modesty of a woman among others. Her statement was recorded by a two-member team of the Delhi Police at her residence in central Delhi.
The NCW has summoned Bibhav on Friday (May 17) to appear before it, after taking suo moto cognisance of a media post titled ‘Ex-DCW chief Swati Maliwal accuses Arvind Kejriwal’s personal secretary of assaulting her’. The commission also issued a notice, stressing that failure to comply could result in further actions as deemed necessary by them.
Kejriwal main criminal in this, says BJP
Earlier in the day, the BJP attacked Kejriwal after he refused to comment on the assault case during a press conference in Lucknow. He was flanked by Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh.
The CM avoided a question on the issue and it was fielded by Singh who said his party has already made its stand clear on the issue. On May 14, at a press conference in Delhi, the MP had accepted that Bibhav had “misbehaved” with Maliwal.
When Kejriwal was avoiding the question, Yadav took the microphone and said: “There are more important things than that.” He then unfolded a piece of paper and said, “BJP people are not with anyone, it is a ‘gang’ that lodges false cases.”
Singh then took the microphone from the SP chief, and said the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should answer for atrocities against women during the party’s rule. He targeted the Centre by raising the issue of a Manipuri woman being paraded naked, the Prajwal Revanna sex abuse case and Maliwal being “beaten up” by police during protests by wrestlers when she was the DCW chief.
“I want that the BJP and PM should also answer on the issues I have kept before you. He (PM) should answer on the issue of Swati Maliwal, who was dragged and beaten when she went to seek justice for the female wrestlers. I just want to say don’t play political games on the issues,” he added.
Gaurav Bhatia, BJP national spokesperson, said Kejriwal is the main “criminal” in the complaint that his aide Bibhav had physically attacked Maliwal at the chief minister’s residence, as he cited the telephone call she had made to the Delhi Police to report the matter.
“His (Kejriwal) silence speaks a lot. Out of jail, he is more a ‘goonda’ than a chief minister,” he told reporters, noting that Kumar was seen with the chief minister in Lucknow. Stringent action should be taken against the accused in the case. He noted that Bibhav was photographed with Kejriwal during his visit to Lucknow.
The Mahlia Morcha of the Delhi BJP also extended support to Maliwal, writing a letter to her saying the incident was a matter of honour of women in the country. The letter written by its president Richa Pandey Mishra, also a former AAP leader, urged Maliwal to approach police to ensure that strict action be taken against the guilty.
Reacting to the incident, the Congress said strict action should be taken against the person who was involved in the alleged assault on Maliwal. The two parties are fighting the Lok Sabha elections under the banner of INDIA bloc in the national capital.
Congress spokesperson Ragini Nayak said the party’s stand in the matter has been absolutely clear. “If any crime takes place against a woman, whoever is involved in the crime, whether he belongs to any political party or not, strictest action should be taken against him. (AAP MP) Sanjay Singh also said the same thing and the Congress also said the same,” Nayak said.
(With PTI inputs)
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