A day after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, during his Talk to AK session, claimed that his MLAs were being implicated in false cases, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) summoned AAP’s Kondli MLA Manoj Kumar in a case of domestic violence filed by his wife.
Mr. Kumar’s wife, Sarita, has alleged that she was subjected to regular physical and verbal abuse by the MLA. She left his house in 2014 after his behaviour didn’t change. Their 10-year-old daughter lives with Mr. Kumar. Last week, Ms. Sarita approached the DCW and also asked for the custody of her daughter.
“The hearing took place with the chairperson and they have been asked to come again on July 30,” said an official with the DCW.
Mr. Kumar’s wife has alleged that even during the last two years, whenever she went to his house to be with their daughter, Mr. Kumar would beat her.
Phone calls and text messages on Mr. Kumar’s personal number went answered.
First Bharti, now Kumar
Mr. Kumar is the second AAP MLA to be facing domestic violence charges after Malviya Nagar MLA and former minister Somnath Bharti. Last year, Mr. Bharti was arrested after his wife approached the DCW and then later filed a police compliant.
Assuring that action will be taken, the Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal said that a complaint was received which involved a politician and after going through the complaint both, husband and wife, were called.
“For the Delhi Commission for Women, a politician is no different from any other citizen. We will help his wife get justice,” Ms. Maliwal said.
This isn’t the first time that the Kondli MLA is in the dock.
Land grab case
Last year in July, he was arrested in connection with a forgery and land grabbing case. He was then remanded by court in police custody for two days.
However, sources in the AAP said that the timing of the case seems like a conspiracy by the opposition as his wife had been living separately for almost two years.
“If our MLA is at fault then he must face the action as per law but the only thing that raises a needle of suspicion is the timing of the complaint. She could’ve gone to the DCW in 2014, why now?” a senior party leader said.
