The Delhi Police visited Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on Sunday and collected exhibits from the spot where Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal was allegedly assaulted by the CM’s aide Bibhav Kumar.
AAP on Sunday said the Delhi Police seized the DVR of CCTV cameras installed inside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence in connection with its probe into the "assault" on Swati Maliwal and accused the cops of planting stories to tarnish the party's image ahead of the elections.
There was no immediate reaction from the Delhi Police.
Swati Maliwal Alleged 'Assault Case | Latest Developments
Case Recap: Swati Maliwal, an AAP Rajya Sabha member, has alleged that Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar assaulted her on May 13 when she had gone to the chief minister's residence to meet him. AAP has rubbished her allegations and claimed that Maliwal is acting at the behest of the BJP to frame Kejriwal.
Bibhav Kumar Arrested: Bibhav Kumar was arrested on Saturday, May 18, and produced in a court, which remanded him in five-day police custody. The Delhi Police has booked Kumar for molestation and attempted culpable homicide after Maliwal's complaint.
READ MORE | Swati Maliwal 'Assault' Case: Kejriwal's Aide Bibhav Kumar Arrested; Bail Plea Not Applicable
Swati Maliwal Medical Report: Swati Maliwal's medical report, released by AIIMS, revealed bruises on her face and leg after she was allegedly assaulted by Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar at the Chief Minister's residence on May 13. In the FIR, Maliwal claimed that Kumar hit her with "full force again and again" and she was "kicked and slapped seven to eight times". According to her medico-legal certificate (MLC) from AIIMS, Maliwal has "bruises over proximal left leg dorsal aspect of approx size 3x2 cm and right cheek elbow below right eye of approx size 2x2 cm".
CCTV Visuals: Purported videos and CCTV visuals of the incident have circulated, with crossfire of allegations and counters between AAP, Swati Maliwal and even the BJP. After AAP released a CCTV visual, claiming it to be of Swati Maliwal walking out "calmly" from the residence of Arvind Kejriwal on the day of the alleged incident, Maliwal claimed that the footage of the May 13 incident where she was allegedly assaulted at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence has "disappeared" and edited videos were being released.
ALSO READ | Swati Maliwal FIR: 'Bibhav Kumar Slapped, Kicked, Hit Me,' Kejriwal Aide Booked
AAP's Response On CCTV Visuals: Addressing a press conference on Sunday, May 19, AAP's Saurbh Bharadwaj said the CCTV cameras and the footage captured are maintained by the Public Works department and are in its custody. Bharadwaj also responded to allegations that the CCTV camera footage has been deleted. "The incident happened in the drawing room. One usually does not install cameras there. I have never seen a CCTV camera. When a camera is not there, how can its footage be deleted? The police have everything with them and if they would have seen anything they would have shared it with the media," the Delhi minister said.
DVR Of CCTV Cameras Seized By Delhi Police: AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj also said in the press conference that the police have already seized the DVR (digital video recorder) of CCTV cameras. "Yesterday [Saturday], they seized the DVR of cameras installed at the entry gates, boundary walls and today [Sunday], they seized the DVR of cameras installed in other parts of the house. The police are planting stories that the CCTV [camera] footage has been deleted but they have already seized it," he claimed.
AAP Questions Sequence Of Events: Bharadwaj also raised questions over the sequence of events in the case. "The call was made by Swati Maliwal on May 13 and, within no time, the image of the daily diary entry in the matter was all over the media. The FIR in the case has been registered under Section 354 (B), which is a sensitive matter that pertains to a woman, but the FIR was circulated everywhere. However, Bibhav Kumar, the accused, and AAP did not have a copy of the FIR," he said.
