Swati Maliwal row: Bibhav Kumar formatted phone, CCTV 'blank'- Delhi police

Swati Maliwal 'assault' row updates: Accused Bibhav Kumar, a close aide of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, was sent into police custody for five days by a Delhi court on Saturday

In the ongoing probe related to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal's alleged assault, Delhi police told a Delhi court on Saturday that the accused, Bibhav Kumar, formatted his phone before being arrested and is not cooperating in the investigation.

Additional public prosecutor (APP) Atul Kumar Srivastava told the court that despite a notice, the DVR footage of the incident was not provided. The CCTV clip was shared on a pen drive by an officer of JE rank, which turned out to be blank for the relevant time, he said.

Kumar, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's personal assistant, was arrested earlier that day and produced in Tis Hazari court. The court remanded him in police custody for five days.

Police visit Kejriwal's house

On Sunday, the Delhi police visited the Delhi CM's residence and seized the CCTV DVR, following which a seizure memo was also handed over to the CM's residence.

The police will now retrieve the footage of the DVR with the help of technical experts and then attempt to analyse the sequence of the crime. "Delhi police also suspect that there may be some tampering with the DVR or its hard disk," sources said.

Observing the state of the provided video footage and Kumar's phone condition, the court said that it spoke "volumes" about the accused.

What is Swati Maliwal's 'assault' row?

The row is linked to Maliwal's allegations against Kumar for physically assaulting her at the CM's residence last Monday. She lodged a formal complaint on Thursday alleging that Bibhav "slapped" her "at least seven to eight times" while she "continued screaming" and "brutally dragged" her while "kicking" her in her "chest, stomach and pelvis area."

Bibhav lodged a counter-complaint with the police on Friday, accusing Maliwal of gaining "unauthorised entry" into the CM's house and "verbally abusing" him.

AAP-BJP trade barbs over Swati Maliwal

While the AAP initially promised action over the incident, on Friday, it reversed its course of action and alleged Maliwal's allegations are a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) "conspiracy" to trap Kejriwal.

The Delhi CM is currently out on interim bail in the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam.

Meanwhile, the BJP retaliated by labelling the AAP as "anti-women" and alleged that Maliwal's assault was linked to Kejriwal's wish to send a senior lawyer to the Rajya Sabha.