New Delhi, Sep 4: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday lashed out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal for sharing a photo of Bibhav Kumar on X, saying crimes against women cannot be trivialised under the guise of politics.
“How can women get justice or how can crimes against women be stopped? Crimes against women cannot be trivialised under the guise of politics,” Rijiju said in a post on X.
On Tuesday, Bibhav Kumar, a close aide of CM Arvind Kejriwal, was released from Tihar Jail, a day after the Supreme Court granted him bail in relation to the assault case involving AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal.
On Wednesday, Sunita Kejriwal took to X and shared a photo of Bibhav Kumar with the caption: “Sukoon bhara din (a day of relief)”, sparking a controversy besides drawing sharp criticism from Maliwal.
Maliwal, who fell out with the party after the infamous assault incident, shared the screenshot of Sunita Kejriwal’s ‘feeling relieved’ post and hit out at AAP’s claims on justice for women. “The Chief Minister’s wife, who was at home when I was being beaten up, is feeling very ‘relieved’ because the man who beat me and misbehaved with me in his house has been released on bail,” Maliwal wrote.
Coming down heavily on AAP, she said the party was giving an ‘open licence’ to the perpetrators to commit crimes against women and then shielding them with its battery of lawyers.
“This is a clear message to everyone, beat up the women, after that we will first get dirty trolling done, completely ruin the victim, and hire an army of the country’s most expensive lawyers to save that man in court,” she said. The Aam Aadmi Party had earlier discredited her version of the event, with Delhi minister Atishi calling Maliwal “BJP’s pawn”.
On Monday, the top court directed Kejriwal’s aide be released on bail, noting that he has spent last 100 days in custody and if released on bail, no prejudice will be caused to the investigation of the case since the Delhi Police had already filed its charge sheet before the trial court post completion of the probe. Bibhav Kumar was arrested on May 18 in connection with an alleged assault on Swati Maliwal on May 13 at the official residence of Chief Minister Kejriwal.
Delhi Police registered a case against Bibhav Kumar for allegedly assaulting Maliwal, the former Chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women. The FIR lodged at the Civil Lines police station includes charges under Sections 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 341 (wrongful restraint), 354(B) (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code.
IANS