Swati Maliwal, a Rajya Sabha MP from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has recently spoken out about receiving serious threats after a video posted by popular YouTuber Dhruv Rathee. Maliwal claims that this video, which she says is one-sided, has led to a surge in rape and death threats against her.Maliwal alleges that leaders and volunteers from her own party have launched a campaign to tarnish her reputation. She believes this was done to intimidate her into withdrawing a complaint she had filed. According to her, the situation worsened significantly after Rathee posted a video about her.In her X post, Maliwal stated, The way the whole party and its supporters have tried to defame and shame me says a lot about their position on womens issues. I am reporting these rape and death threats to the Delhi Police and hope they take decisive action against those responsible.After the leaders and volunteers of my party i.e. AAP orchestrated a campaign of charachter assassination, victim shaming and fanning of emotions against me, I have been getting rape and death threats.This got further exacerbated when YouTuber @Dhruv_Rathee posted a one-sided… pic.twitter.com/EfCHHWW0xu— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) May 26, 2024Ignored calls for fair representationMaliwal expressed her disappointment with Dhruv Rathee, accusing him of ignoring her attempts to provide her side of the story. She reached out to Rathee through calls and messages but received no response.She added, Its disgraceful that individuals like him, who claim to be independent journalists, can behave like AAP spokespersons and victim-shame me to the point where I am now enduring severe abuse and threats.Points overlooked in videoMaliwal highlighted several crucial points she believes were ignored in Rathees 2.5-minute video:- The AAP initially accepted that the incident occurred but later changed their stance.- A medical report confirmed injuries from the assault.- Only selected parts of the video were released, and the phone of the accused was wiped clean.- The accused was arrested at the scene (Delhi Chief Ministers residence) but was later allowed to return, raising concerns about evidence tampering.- Despite her reputation for standing up for the right issues, including traveling to Manipur alone without security, she is being accused of being influenced by the BJP.Appeal for safety and accountabilityMaliwal concluded her statement by emphasizing the danger she is in and making it clear who she believes is responsible if any harm comes to her. The controversy escalated following the arrest of Bibhav Kumar on May 18, in connection with the assault on Maliwal at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals residence on May 13. Kumar, a former personal secretary to Kejriwal, has since sought bail from a local court. The court has requested a response from Delhi Police on this matter.
