Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called for a fair investigation into the alleged assault case involving Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal. In his first reaction to the incident, Kejriwal, speaking to the news agency PTI on Wednesday, emphasised the need for an unbiased investigation as the incident has two conflicting versions.
Maliwal has accused Bibhav Kumar, Kejriwal's personal assistant, of assaulting her when she visited the chief minister's official residence on May 13.
Kejriwal stated that the matter is "sub-judice" and any comment from his side might influence the proceedings.
"But I expect there will be a fair investigation. Justice should be served. There are two versions of the event. Police should investigate both versions fairly and justice should be done," Kejriwal told PTI.
Kumar is currently in police custody for five days in connection with the case.
Earlier on Wednesday, Maliwal claimed that there is a significant pressure within the party to discredit her. "Yesterday I got a call from a big leader of the party. They told me how there is a lot of pressure on everyone, they have to say bad things against Swati, they have to break her by leaking her personal photos. It is being said that anyone who supports her will be expelled from the party," the Rajya Sabha MP wrote in a post on X.
"Someone has got the duty of doing press conference and someone has got the duty of tweeting. It is someone's duty to call the volunteers sitting in America and get something out against me," she added.
On Tuesday, Kumar was taken to Mumbai for the retrieval of data from his phone, which he had allegedly formatted before his arrest. Police suspect Kumar may have transferred the phone's data to another person or device in Mumbai before erasing it.
Kumar's phones and laptop, along with CCTV footage from Kejriwal's residence, have been sent for forensic examination, an official familiar with the matter told PTI. As Kumar's police custody is set to end on Thursday, investigators are working to gather all relevant evidence related to the case, the report said.
READ | Who Will Be The Next PM If I.N.D.I.A Alliance Wins Lok Sabha Polls? Here's What Arvind Kejriwal Said