New Delhi: A Delhi police team reached the official residence of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday in connection with its investigation into the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal. The police team collected electronic devices, including a CCTV digital video recorder (DVR), in its effort to acquire the footage of the May 13 alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP when Bibhav Kumar, Mr Kejriwal's close aide, allegedly attacked her at the CM's residence.
Maliwal has alleged that the CCTV footage of the CM's residence was being tampered with. However, the AAP alleged that stories are being planted to tarnish the party's image during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said the police have already seized the DVR. "On Saturday, they seized the DVR of cameras installed at the entry gates and boundary walls. On Sunday, they seized the DVR of cameras installed in other parts of the house. The police are planting stories that the CCTV (camera) footage has been deleted, but they have already seized it," he claimed.
The Delhi police booked Kejriwal's aide for molestation and attempted culpable homicide after Maliwal's complaint. He was arrested on Saturday and produced in court, which remanded him in five-day police custody.
While pronouncing the order on the Delhi police's application, which sought seven-day custody of Kumar, metropolitan magistrate Gaurav Goyal said the police remand is a "necessity" in the matter as Kumar is evasive in his replies during his interrogation.
The court noted the prosecution's submissions about the need to take Kumar to Mumbai and other parts of the national capital to collect evidence, which was not possible without the accused's custody.
"Admittedly, the case is at a nascent stage. Allegations made in the FIR are corroborated in her (Mr Maliwal's) statement recorded by the magistrate on oath, and further, they are again corroborated in the medico-legal case (MLC) of the victim or complainant," the court said.
The court directed Mr Kuamr's medical examination every 24 hours and said the investigating agency will not subject the accused to "any torture". It also allowed Mr Kumar to meet his advocate and wife for half-an-hour each during police custody.
