Delhi Police Seek Custody of Chief Minister’s Aide in Assault Case

Delhi - The Delhi Police have sought seven days custody of Bibhav Kumar, an aide to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in connection with the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal. The police described the case as “serious,” stating that the “brutal assault” could have been “fatal.”

Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Goyal, who remanded Kumar to five-day police custody, was informed by the investigating agency that Kumar had been uncooperative and evasive in his responses.

North District Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Anjitha Chepyala, who signed the remand paper, stated, “This is a very serious case where a Member of Parliament, a public figure, has been brutally assaulted which could have been fatal. Despite specific questions, the accused has not cooperated in the investigation and has been evasive in his replies.”

The remand application corroborated Maliwal’s testimony before the magistrate with medical evidence. According to Maliwal’s allegations, Kumar screamed, threatened, and used abusive language against her, in addition to “brutally assaulting” her, dragging her, and banging her head on a centre table.

The application stated that the “most vital evidence,” the digital video record (DVR) of the spot, had yet to be provided to the police. A junior engineer in the CM’s residence, who admitted that he did not have access to the DVR and CCTV cameras, provided a video of the dining room, but it was found to be blank at the time of the alleged incident.

The remand application further stated that Kumar was present at the chief minister’s residence on Saturday and provided evasive replies when questioned. “His presence at the scene of the crime (SOC) raises a strong possibility of tampering with crucial evidence, including electronic evidence. The accused is an influential person and having worked more than nine years in an authoritative position can influence, and pressure the witnesses in the CM house,” it said.

The application explained that after being terminated as the CM’s personal secretary in April 2024, Kumar was still working in the CM’s residence and needed to be questioned about the capacity and authority under which he was working.

Another case was registered against Kumar in Noida for allegedly assaulting an on-duty public servant. “Since a brutal attack is made on a public figure who is a sitting MP, a sustained interrogation is very much required to find out the motive behind brutal attack and to ascertain the conspiracy angles or involvement of some person or organisation having inimical to our country,” the paper said.

According to Kumar, he had formatted his mobile in Mumbai on Friday and that his mobile phone was password protected. “Without the personal presence and assistance of the accused, as this instrument is password protected, the phone and its apps cannot be accessed. Also, he has to be taken to an expert to retrieve the mobile data and to ascertain the factum of formatting of the mobile phone of the accused, which is an important piece of evidence,” the plea for remand said.

The application concluded by stating that Kumar, being in a “position of command” and having “access to the SOC,” could threaten witnesses and tamper with evidence.