Unrelated video passed off as footage of assault on Aam Aadmi Party leader Swati Maliwal

What is the claim?

A video of a group of people involved in a scuffle inside what appears to be an office cabin is being linked to the controversy around the alleged assault on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Swati Maliwal. Parliamentarian and former chief of the Delhi Commission of Women (DCW) Maliwal has alleged that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar assaulted her at the CM's residence on May 13.

Those sharing the video claim that it shows Maliwal being beaten up inside the Chief Minister's Office by Kejriwal's personal assistant, who is accused of the assault. 

Sharing the video on X (archived here), a user implied that it showed footage of the alleged assault. Archived versions of similar claims can be found here and here.

Screenshots of social media posts sharing the viral video. (Source: X/Screenshot)

However, the viral video predates the alleged incident and shows an altercation between family members inside a local Delhi court.

What does the video show?

It should be noted that none of the people seen in the video resemble Maliwal.

Further, a reverse image search on one of the keyframes of the viral clip led us to an X post (archived here) shared on May 13 with a Hindi caption that indicates that the incident took place inside the mediation room in Tis Hazari, a district court in Delhi. A 'DELHI NEWS' logo and watermark can be seen on the video.

Screenshot an X post claiming the video was shot at a district court. (Source: X/Screenshot)

This video was also posted on Facebook by local media outlet Delhi Devkaran News (archived here) on May 12. The accompanying caption, in Hindi, read, "A viral video of Delhi's Tis Hazari Court has surfaced, in which it is being said that family members are seen confronting each other in the mediation room. They came to settle their scores but ended up fighting with each other." (sic) (Translated)

Lokmat Times, a Marathi-language media outlet, also reported on the incident captured in the viral video on May 14 (archived here), saying that it shows a clash in Tis Hazari's mediation room.

It may be noted that Maliwal has claimed that the alleged assault took place on the morning of May 13 inside the CM residence. However, the video in question has been available online since May 12, clearly suggesting that it predates the alleged incident, even if by a day. 

The earliest version of the video we found online was shared by journalist Atul Krishnan on X (archived here) on May 12 at 10.01 p.m. Krishnan wrote on the platform that the video shows an altercation between family members in Tis Hazari's mediation room. 

A lawyer practicing at Tis Hazari court, who did not wish to be identified, confirmed to Logically Facts that the video shows a scuffle at the mediation center in the district court.

We also reached out to a police official at Delhi's Subzi Mandi police station, who told us, on the condition of anonymity, that the video was captured at Tis Hazari's mediation center. "The incident took place at Tis Hazari's mediation room on May 9, and it shows a brawl between the family members of a married couple," he said.

Swati Maliwal's assault case

A day after Maliwal went public with her allegations against Bibhav Kumar, Kejriwal's personal secretary, who allegedly assaulted her on May 13, AAP leader Sanjay Singh on May 14 acknowledged the incident and said that Kejriwal's aide had misbehaved with Maliwal. The Times of India quoted Singh as saying, "Yesterday, Maliwal had gone to meet Arvind Kejriwal at his residence. While she was waiting in the drawing room, Bibhav Kumar misbehaved with her. This is a highly condemnable incident. Kejriwal has taken cognizance of it and will take strict action."

According to media reports, while Maliwal approached the Delhi Police alleging assault on her inside the chief minister's residence, she didn't file an official complaint.

Speaking to reporters, Manoj Meena, Delhi Commissioner of Police (North), said that the AAP MP came to the police station on May 13 after she made a PCR call at 9:34 a.m., alleging that she had been assaulted inside the CM residence. He added that no written complaint was received in this matter. 

The verdict

The viral video is unrelated to the alleged assault on AAP leader Swati Maliwal and has been available online before the incident in question took place. According to media reports, the incident shows a scuffle at Tis Hazari court between some family members. Our sources also confirmed this. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.