Party leader Kumar Vishwas faces allegations from woman
PTI
NEW DELHI, MAY 4
Aam Aadmi Party was today hit by another controversy as its leader Kumar Vishwas was accused by a party volunteer of not dispelling "false rumours" of his having an illicit relationship with her, saying it has ruined her reputation.The Delhi Commission for Women summoned Vishwas and his wife, asking them to appear before it tomorrow after the volunteer approached it. The woman claimed that she had also written separate letters to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Police Commissioner apprising them of the same but neither of them have responded.
The woman, who claimed to have campaigned for Vishwas in Amethi in 2014 Lok Sabha election, has alleged that Vishwas took no action towards dispelling the "rumours" while Kejriwal did not take note of her complaint.
Vishwas, a member of AAP's Political Affairs Committee, and the party, however, said the allegations were false and baseless and it was part of a defamation campaign against the AAP by rival parties.
DCW Chairperson Barkha Singh said, "It is the same volunteer who has been coming to us for quite some time now. He (Vishwas) should come since the complainant is his own party's volunteer. Her marriage is falling apart because of him she has alleged."
The ruling AAP in Delhi has been battling internal strife apart from a string of controversies including over the educational qualification of its law minister and a farmer suicide at its rally here.
"The allegation is totally false and baseless. AAP is being targeted. There is no basis for the allegation. Please spare our families," AAP leader Sanjay Singh said, addressing a press conference.
Viswas, who has in the past too courted controversy over his alleged derogatory remarks against women, accused the media of playing into the hands of the BJP and of being "extortionist".
"We will not be affected or frightened away by such attempts to malign us with lies. We will fight till our last breath against political corruption," the AAP leader said.
Vishwas said that the woman, who was an activist of Aam Aadmi Party, registered a police complaint that some persons on social media are spreading lies against her, including a BJP spokesperson, that she has an illicit relation.
"She registered complaint 15 days back, but police has not taken any action yet. She had sent me a mail asking Kumar bhaiya, what should I do now? Thereafter, our AAP's legal cell asked her to register an FIR in this regard," said Vishwas.
Both Congress and BJP called the allegations serious and asked Kejriwal to clarify on the issue.
"If he is not clarifying that means there is something fishy. We are with that woman and will support her," BJP's Vijender Gupta said.
DPCC Chief Ajay Maken said it was a serious complaint and should be looked into.
Vishwas said the police did not take action on the complaint.
He said he is yet to receive the DCW notice and will respond appropriately.
The woman, meanwhile, said, "Just because of this allegation my husband has left me. I have two kids. I come from a middle class family where they feel that since Kumar Vishwas is AAP spokesperson and a known face, maybe there was something between the two.
"I am unable to explain. That's why I want Kumar Vishwas to speak on this but he is not doing so. That's why I had to go to the Women's Commission."
She alleged that she also received a threatening call over her complaint.
Vishwas said he was hurt by the "baseless allegations".
"During Delhi Assembly election, we were also defamed by the BJP to gain political gain. A private TV channel is running a baseless story against me...I have sent a defamation notice to it," he said.
Slamming Delhi Police, Vishwas said that women in her complaint even named some persons who were behind defaming her, but Delhi Police is not taking action against them.
AAP leader Sanjay Singh said the woman had named four persons in her complaint to Delhi Police on March 31, accusing them of maligning her image on social media.
"When nothing happened, she made a complaint to the woman commission," said AAP leader Singh said.
He said in any of the complaints, the woman had not talked about any illicit relationship.
"Despite that it is being made as if an illicit relationship has been unearthed.... The woman has complained about maligning her image. She has accused a BJP spokesperson of tweeting her photo," he added.
Singh asked media to refrain from targeting the party without evidence.
"If there is a premeditated strategy to target AAP then, please don't be part of it. If there is any evidence, if you have facts, then please run a story. But please don't run cooked up stories where the fact is something and something else is being run," said Singh.
"It is my humble request to friends in media. If we are wrong, do run a story, crucify us, we have no problem. But kindly spare our families, our wives our children get hurt by these stories, please spare them," he added.
Delhi Police on Monday said it has already registered an FIR and probe is underway after a woman volunteer of AAP gave a complaint accusing some persons of spreading “rumours” of her having an illicit relationship with party leader Kumar Vishwas.
According to police, an FIR in this regard was registered on April 29 under IPC section 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) and Section 67A of the IT Act at Nand Nagri police station in Northeast Delhi and they are investigating the case. No arrest has been made in the case so far.
“We had registered an FIR in this connection on April 29. Further investigations are on,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North East) Veenu Bansal.
He, however, did not reveal the names of the accused in the FIR but sources said that three persons have been named by the victim in this case.
“The victim, in her complaint, has said that some people have spread rumours that she has illicit relationship with AAP leader Kumar Vishwas on the social media and one of them even uploaded her photo on the internet as well,” said a police official quoting the victim’s complaint.
Earlier today, the Delhi Commission for Women summoned Vishwas and his wife, asking them to appear before it tomorrow after the volunteer approached the women rights panel.
The woman, who claimed to have campaigned for Vishwas in Amethi in 2014 Lok Sabha election, has alleged that Vishwas took no action towards dispelling the “rumours” while Kejriwal did not take note of her complaint.
