Alleged Assault At Delhi CM's Residence: CCTV Footage Tampered, Accused Under Investigation

Delhi Police have suggested that the CCTV footage from the May 13 incident, where AAP MP Swati Maliwal was allegedly assaulted at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence, might have been altered by the main accused, Bibhav Kumar, in an attempt to destroy evidence. According to the police's remand note, a section of the footage from the CCTV cameras at the Chief Minister's residence appears to be missing.

Ms. Maliwal emphasized this point on social media, drawing a parallel to the 2012 Delhi gangrape-murder case and accusing those involved of attempting to erase evidence. She lamented the lack of similar efforts to protect her as had been made for Manish Sisodia, Delhi's former Deputy Chief Minister. Sisodia has been imprisoned for over a year in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case.

The police have stated that they haven't received the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) to review the May 13 footage as part of their investigation. The CCTV cameras at the Chief Minister's residence fall under the jurisdiction of the Public Works Department (PWD). A junior engineer from the department provided the police with a video on a pen drive, but it was found to be blank. The investigation revealed that the junior engineer didn't have access to the DVR.

Bibhav Kumar, a close aide to Chief Minister Kejriwal, has been arrested and is in police custody for five days. The police have accused him of non-cooperation in the investigation and raised concerns about his ability to tamper with evidence and influence witnesses due to his nine-year tenure as the Chief Minister's personal secretary. Additionally, the police are investigating why Kumar was still employed at the Chief Minister's residence despite being removed in April due to a case dating back to 2007.

The police also highlighted the severity of assaulting an MP and expressed concerns that the attack could have been fatal. Bibhav Kumar allegedly evaded questions about the incident during interrogation. Ms. Maliwal's statement aligns with her medical report, according to the police.

Furthermore, the police have mentioned that Kumar's iPhone 15 has been reset and requires examination by a data expert.

In response, Kumar's counsel, Rajiv Mohan, claimed that Ms. Maliwal visited the Chief Minister's residence without an appointment and accused the Delhi Police of distorting facts. He also pointed out that she filed the police complaint three days after the incident and did not seek medical assistance immediately.

Ms. Maliwal, a Rajya Sabha member and former chief of the Delhi Commission for Women, alleges that Bibhav Kumar physically assaulted her during the May 13 incident. AAP MP Sanjay Singh has corroborated her account, stating that the Chief Minister's aide behaved improperly, and promised strict action from Mr. Kejriwal. The AAP has accused the BJP of involving Ms. Maliwal in a conspiracy, citing a case filed by the BJP's Anti-Corruption Bureau regarding the alleged illegal recruitment of contractual employees in the Delhi Commission for Women.