• Source:JND
HighLights
  1. Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj arrested by Delhi Police.
  2. Remanded to one-day custody for Jantar Mantar assault.
  3. Delhi Police has registered a fresh FIR under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act based on a complaint.

Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj was arrested by the Delhi Police on Saturday over the alleged attack on the father of a Cockroach Janta Party protester during the July 20 'Sansad Chalo March' at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Bhardwaj was produced before a Delhi court, which remanded him to one day of police custody.

His detention came after a clip from an interview went viral in which Bhardwaj is heard claiming that he had "cracked the skull" of student protester Nishu Azad's father, Sanjay Kumar, leaving him with an injury that required 60 stitches, while managing to avoid being jailed.

Following his remarks yesterday, the CJP, the Indian Youth Congress, and Lok Sabha MPs Chandra Shekhar and Rajesh Ranjan staged protests at the Parliament Street police station in New Delhi. The CJP dispersed after police assured protesters that Bhardwaj would be arrested within 72 hours.

The Delhi Police has registered a fresh FIR under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act based on a complaint, while also adding sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) Act to the existing FIR against him.

On Friday, in a separate development, police had registered a fresh FIR under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on a complaint by the minor activist, alleging online threats and harassment.

The police also reportedly invoked BNS Sections 351(3), 78 (stalking) and 79 (insulting the modesty of a woman), besides Section 67 of the Information Technology Act.

The minor had earlier alleged that she received rape threats, verbal abuse and morphed images after speaking out against the alleged assault on her father and filing a police complaint.

ALSO READ: Swatantra Bhardwaj Detained For Attacking Nishu Azad's Father After CJP's Protest; Chirag Paswan Files Complaint

What Happened During the CJP Protest?

The 21-year-old self-styled ‘influencer’ and others are accused of attacking Sanjay Azad, who had accompanied his minor daughter to a protest at Jantar Mantar on June 23.

A clip from a podcast in which Bhardwaj describes himself as a "Kattar Hindu" (hardline Hindu) has gone viral on social media. In the video, he is heard admitting that he "cracked the skull" of Nishu Azad's father during the protest.

"...Do you know which section this crime attracts? Section 307. He needed 60 stitches. The man was being taken away in an ambulance in serious condition. His daughter was standing outside the police station and saying that she would die by suicide if her father didn't get justice. But I was not even jailed. The world should know this. I was out and about through the night," Bhardwaj was heard saying in the unverified video.

ALSO READ: 'Swatantra Bhardwaj Will Be Arrested In 72 Hours': Delhi Police After CJP's Protest; SC/ST Act Added In FIR | Updates

“I have the blessings of Hanuman. Secondly, Kapil Mishra is my elder brother. They say Kapil Mishra called, and I was released. Chirag Paswan is my elder brother. How many leaders do you know? Do you know Modi ji? Modi Ji is also my elder brother. I have everyone’s support," he added.

CJP co-convener Saurav Das said the Delhi Police must ensure that such goons do not go unpunished. "Goons like Swatantra Bharadwaj came to Jantar Mantar. Did Delhi Police not identify them? He committed an attempt to murder," Das said.

The remarks drew criticism from the CJP and opposition parties, including the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and the Trinamool Congress.

Meanwhile, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) said Bhardwaj had falsely invoked the name of Union Minister and party president Chirag Paswan to claim political protection and clarified that the party had no connection with the matter.

Chirag Paswan also accused him of “misusing" his name. “Given the gravity of the matter and since that individual has misused my name, along with the names of several other politicians, I have lodged a formal complaint against him and have also urged the Delhi Police to conduct an impartial investigation… Given the situation Sanjay ji (Nishu’s father) is in today, both my party and I stand firmly with him and his family."

Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj had built a sizeable social media following through provocative posts, displays of political proximity, and incendiary statements long before a video showing him boasting about assaulting a Jantar Mantar protester's father went viral.


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