The Delhi Police have added a new charge against Bibhav Kumar, an aide to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in the assault case involving AAP MP Swati Maliwal. Announced on Monday (June 10), Kumar is now charged under Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for “causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender.” This charge carries a potential punishment of one-sixth of the principal offence’s sentence.
Kumar is accused of assaulting Maliwal at the Chief Minister’s official residence on May 13. The initial FIR, registered on May 16, included charges of criminal intimidation, assault or criminal force with intent to disrobe, and attempted culpable homicide. Maliwal, the former chief of the Delhi Commission for Women, claims Kumar slapped and kicked her during her visit to meet Kejriwal.
A senior police officer disclosed that Kumar’s mobile phone was found to have been formatted when he was arrested at Kejriwal’s residence on May 18. Before his arrest, Kumar had been in Mumbai and allegedly formatted his phone there, but he has not disclosed where or with whom he shared the data. During custody, Kumar allegedly did not cooperate with the investigation. The police also collected three CCTV DVRs from Kejriwal’s residence, which have been sent to a forensic lab due to tampering suspicions, with reports pending.
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