How Swati Maliwal Case Brought Arvind Kejriwal’s ‘Shadow’ Under Spotlight

New Delhi: 

Bibhav Kumar, the main accused in the Swati Maliwal assault case, has for long been Arvind Kejriwal’s shadow, with their association going back to the time when the Aam Aadmi Party did not even exist.

Forty-three-year-old Bibhav Kumar, it is learnt, holds a Master’s degree from Delhi University and a postgraduate diploma in journalism and met the AAP leader when he had been working with Kabir, an NGO founded by Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia in 2005. He also worked with Ms Maliwal on some projects after Mr Kejriwal, Mr Sisodia and journalist Abhinandan Sekhri founded the Public Cause Research Foundation.

When the India Against Corruption movement catapulted Mr Kejriwal to national limelight, Bibhav Kumar was with him.

After AAP swept the 2015 election in Delhi, Bibhav Kumar was appointed Mr Kejriwal’s private secretary. He was reappointed in 2020 when AAP returned to power in the national capital.

Known to work behind the scenes, Bibhav Kumar’s influence was such that anyone, be it mediapersons or AAP functionaries, had to go through him if he/she wanted to meet Mr Kejriwal. He is among Mr Kejriwal’s most trusted aides and is known to play a key role in shaping AAP’s strategies.   

The ‘shadow’ first came under the spotlight last year when Delhi’s directorate of vigilance questioned why he had been allotted a Type VI bungalow in violation of rules. Soon after, the Public Works Department cancelled the allotment.

In February this year, he was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with alleged irregularities in Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor policy that led to the arrest of top AAP leaders.