Assault could have been fatal, Bibhav Kumar evasive: Delhi Police says in its remand paper | India News – Times of India

Assault could have been fatal, Bibhav Kumar evasive: Delhi Police says in its remand paper | India News – Times of India



NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police, late Saturday evening, submitted a remand paper seeking seven days of custody for Bibhav Kumar, an aide to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in connection with the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal. Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Goyal, who presided over the hearing, granted five-day police custody based on the police’s request.
In the remand paper, signed by North District additional deputy commissioner of Police Anjitha Chepyala, it was asserted that the assault on Maliwal was a “serious case” with the potential to turn “fatal.” The document highlighted Kumar’s alleged lack of cooperation with the investigation, saying that he had been evasive in his responses.

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“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,” said Chepyala.
According to the remand application, Maliwal’s testimony before the magistrate was supported by medical evidence. The plea detailed Maliwal’s allegations, including verbal abuse and physical assault, which reportedly occurred at the CM’s residence.
According to Maliwal’s allegations, Kumar screamed, threatened and used abusive language against her, besides being “brutally assaulting”, dragging and banging her head on a centre table, the plea said.
It said that the “most vital evidence” was the digital video record (DVR) of the spot but it was yet to be provided to the police.
According to the plea seeking police custody, a junior engineer in the CM’s residence, after admitting that he did not have access to the place where the DVR and CCTV cameras were installed, provided a video of the dining room but it was later found to be blank at the time of the alleged incident.
Crucially, the remand application emphasized the importance of obtaining digital evidence, particularly the digital video record (DVR) from the location. However, despite efforts, the requested evidence had not yet been provided to the police.
The plea also raised concerns about Kumar’s continued presence at the CM’s residence, suggesting a risk of tampering with evidence. It cited Kumar’s previous termination as the CM’s personal secretary and his alleged involvement in another assault case in Noida.
“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.
Explaining the reasons for police custody, the application said 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 quizzed about the capacity and authority under which he was working.
It said 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.
Moreover, the remand paper highlighted Kumar’s recent actions, including the alleged formatting of his mobile phone in Mumbai, which authorities believe could contain crucial evidence pertinent to the investigation.
“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.
It said that Kumar could threaten witnesses and tamper evidence as he was in a “position of command” and also had “access to the SOC”
(With inputs from agencies)





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