Bibhav Kumar, a personal assistant to Arvind Kejriwal who “misbehaved” with AAP MP Swati Maliwal recently, was seen accompanying the Delhi chief minister at Lucknow airport late on Wednesday night. Sanjay Singh, another AAP Rajya Sabha MP, was also spotted alongside the chief minister.
On Thursday, May 16, Akhilesh Yadav, the president of the Samajwadi Party, was joined by Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh in a joint news conference in Lucknow.
On Tuesday, Sanjay Singh had at a press conference said that Bibhav Kumar had “misbehaved” with Swati Maliwal at Arvind Kejriwal’s official residence and that the chief minister would take strict action in the matter. The statement had come a day after Swati Maliwal had made a police call from the CM’s residence and also went to the Civil Lines police station.
On Wednesday, Sanjay Singh met Swati Maliwal, even as the Bharatiya Janata Party sharpened its attack on the AAP supremo, asking him to come clean and demanding action against the guilty.
Aam Aadmi Party leaders refused to give details about Sanjay Singh’s meeting with the former DCW chief, who remained incommunicado. The meeting at Swati Maliwal’s residence is seen as an attempt to pacify his party colleague who has been with the AAP since its inception.
Meanwhile, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla slammed Arvind Kejriwal while sharing a picture of Bibhav Kumar with Arvind Kejriwal on social media platform X.
72 hours
— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) May 16, 2024
No FIR on Bibhav Kumar instead Kejriwal is protecting him ! Roaming around with him..
It is clear- attack on Swati Maliwal was done at behest of Kejriwal himself
Sheesh Mahal is Apradh Mahal & just like Draupadi cheerharan – a woman Rajya Sabha MP was subjected to… pic.twitter.com/1ig50VqHbT
“72 hours. No FIR on Bibhav Kumar instead Kejriwal is protecting him ! Roaming around with him.. It is clear- attack on Swati Maliwal was done at behest of Kejriwal himself. Sheesh Mahal is Apradh Mahal & just like Draupadi cheerharan – a woman Rajya Sabha MP was subjected to violence , assault Now she is being pressured to keep Silent or change her story as is evident from statements of Naveen Jaihind & Nitin Tyagi of AAP hence she hasn’t approached the police yet. True face of AAP – Anti women anarchist party,” Shehzad Poonawalla said.
Meanwhile, vice president of the BJP’s Delhi unit Kapil Mishra, also shared the picture of Arvind Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh and Bibhav Kumar together at the Lucknow airport, pointing out how the Rajya Sabha MP had condemned the incident earlier.
“This is the photo of Lucknow airport last night The one in the black shirt is Vibhav who hit Swati Maliwal Along with Sanjay Singh who said that Bibhav did a very wrong thing, Kejriwal is angry The third one is Kejriwal himself who is accused of getting Swati beaten up,” Mishra posted on X.
Who is Bibhav Kumar, Kejriwal’s PA?
Bibhav Kumar, Arvind Kejriwal’s PA, has been facing ED scrutiny in excise policy-linked money laundering probe as well as alleged irregularities in the Delhi Jal Board.
In February, ED conducted raids at 12 locations, including those connected to Bibhav Kumar and AAP lawmaker ND Gupta. Last month, the probe agency questioned Bibhav Kumar in connection with the excise policy case. He was reportedly questioned to seek clarifications regarding some documents in the excise probe.
A few days later, the Directorate of Vigilance terminated services of Bibhav Kumar as personal secretary to the chief minister of Delhi. Kumar filed an OA before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) challenging the termination order. However, the CAT refused to stay the termination order, stating that granting such relief would be premature.
The termination order, issued by Special Secretary Vigilance YVVJ Rajshekhar, cited a 2007 case pending against Bibhav Kumar, wherein he was accused of obstructing government work.
The order stated that the charges against Bibhav Kumar were grave in nature, including charges of assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty.
Get the latest news updates and stay informed with FELA NEWS!
