An Aam Aadmi Party minister on Friday denounced party MP Swati Maliwal as the “face” of a “BJP conspiracy”, three days after the AAP had admitted that an aide to Arvind Kejriwal had “misbehaved” with Maliwal at the chief minister’s residence on Monday.

The minister’s comment — described by Maliwal as a “U-turn” — came a day after Maliwal gave a statement to the police that led to an FIR against Kejriwal aide Bibhav Kumar. The charges include assault with intent to disrobe, criminal intimidation, insulting the modesty of a woman, and voluntarily causing hurt.

At a news conference on Friday evening, Delhi minister Atishi cited a shaky video that purportedly shows Maliwal arguing with security officials at Kejriwal’s home, saying she wouldn’t leave until the police arrived in response to a call from her.

A woman’s voice, suposedly Maliwal’s, is heard using a cuss word for a bald person — in an apparent reference to Kumar.

Atishi claimed: “The video shows her threatening Kumar. The charges levelled by Swati Maliwal are baseless…. Bibhav Kumar told her that the chief minister is busy and unable to meet her. She shouted at him, pushed him and tried to enter the residential portion of the CM House.”

She added: “The incident proves it was a BJP conspiracy; Swati Maliwal was made its face to frame Kejriwal.”

Atishi ignored questions on the chief minister’s silence and claimed that a previous declaration of support for Maliwal had been made without hearing Kumar’s version. She said the video does not show any injuries on Maliwal.

Maliwal, former chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, responded on Twitter, saying: “Two days ago the party had accepted the truth in the PC and today it has taken a U-turn. This goon is threatening the party that if he gets arrested he will reveal all the secrets….

“Today, under his pressure, the party gave in and to save a goon, my character was questioned by the entire party. No problem, I have been fighting alone for the women of the entire country, I will fight for myself too.”

At a news conference on Tuesday, party MP Sanjay Singh had said Kumar had “misbehaved” with Maliwal while she was waiting to meet the chief minister in his drawing room, and that Kejriwal had called for “strict action” against him.

On Wednesday, however, Kumar was seen with Singh and Kejriwal on their arrival in Lucknow.

Kejriwal did not answer questions about the incident at a news conference in Lucknow on Thursday, where Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav tried to shield his guest from queries.

An AAP source said that Kejriwal was initially supposed to hold a news conference with Akhilesh, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

But, after the Maliwal incident, this did not work out. The idea of Kejriwal appearing at a Jharkhand Mukti Morcha event in Jamshedpur on Thursday, too, was dropped.

The source added that Kejriwal, the AAP national convener, had skipped a media interaction after the Maha Vikas Aghadi rally in Mumbai on Friday as he was likely to be questioned about Maliwal.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi and the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Priyanka Chaturvedi had spoken out in favour of Maliwal before the AAP denounced her.

“At a time when parties are going after women’s votes like never before, our credibility in this regard has taken a beating,” an AAP leader told The Telegraph.

“In the fight… both Arvind and she (Maliwal) are losing out at a time when barely six days are left for the campaign to end in Delhi. Senior leaders can’t even campaign freely now as they may be heckled about Swati. The gains from Arvind’s release are being eroded by this fight.”

The FIR quotes Maliwal as saying: “He (Kumar) slapped me seven-eight times at least while I continued screaming. I felt absolutely numb and shocked and was screaming for help over and over again. In order to protect myself, I pushed him away with my legs. At that time, he pounced on me, brutally dragged me and deliberately pulled my shirt up.

“After that, Bibhav Kumar did not relent and attacked me by kicking me repeatedly in my chest, stomach and pelvis area with his legs…. I repeatedly told him that I am having my periods and that he should please let go of me as I am in unbearable pain. However, he attacked me with full force again and again.”

Maliwal was brought by the police to the chief minister’s residence on Friday evening to recreate the crime scene. She was seen walking very slowly. Earlier in the day, she had testified before a magistrate.

Kumar has emailed a complaint to the police alleging illegal entry and obstruction of public servants by Maliwal at the behest of the BJP.

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said: “The women in Delhi are asking — can this CM even provide security to the women in the city? Arvind Kejriwal is responsible for this incident…. Since May 13, the CM Arvind Kejriwal has not spoken even a single word on the act of violence against his own party’s Rajya Sabha female member.”