NEW DELHI: Swatantra Bhardwaj, the influencer and activist who bragged about “cracking the skull” of a student protester’s father during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) agitation at Jantar Mantar, was arrested on Saturday.
Bhardwaj, who was detained from Uttar Pradesh‘s Bulandshahr on Friday following protests by the CJP and the opposition, was later sent to one-day police custody.
The developments come a day after CJP leaders, along with Lok Sabha MPs Chandra Shekhar and Pappu Yadav, protested at Parliament Street police station in New Delhi demanding Bhardwaj’s arrest. While the police assured action within three days, Bhardwaj was eventually detained within hours near Dhamra Nara village as he attempted to flee Bulandshahr.
Bhardwaj came under the spotlight after he brazenly claimed in a recent podcast that he “cracked the skull” of the father of a 14-year-old Dalit protester at Jantar Mantar. The right-wing activist further bragged that no action was taken against him due to his political connections.
“Do you know which section this crime attracts? Section 307 (attempt to murder)… But I was not even jailed. The world should know this. I was roaming around all night,” Bhardwaj, who describes himself as a ‘Swatantra Sanatani Yodha’ in his Instagram bio, said.
The incident unfolded on June 23, when the CJP was holding an agitation at Jantar Mantar against then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over exam paper leaks. According to the FIR, a scuffle broke out between Bhardwaj and the protester’s father when he was recording the agitation on his mobile. Bhardwaj was detained briefly before being let off.
Against this backdrop, the activist’s recent remarks sparked outrage. At the same time, the 14-year-old also posted an emotional video on X, claiming that she had been receiving threats from Bhardwaj’s supporters.
Reacting to the girl’s video, the CJP assured her of justice and lashed out at the Delhi Police for not acting against Bhardwaj despite his “open admission”.
Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi also reacted, questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah if Bhardwaj enjoyed political protection.
CJP’S PROTEST MARCH TO POLICE STATION
High drama ensued on Friday as CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, along with other opposition leaders, marched to the Parliament Street police station and staged a sit-in.
While an FIR was already registered in the assault case, the CJP claimed that the sections were minor.
After several hours of negotiations with the police, relevant sections under the SC/ST Act were added to the FIR. Police said the “attempt to murder” charge would be considered after an expert medical opinion.
Based on the girl’s complaint regarding online threats, a separate FIR was registered late on Friday under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Amid outrage over his remarks, Bhardwaj later clarified to the media that he was forced to act in self-defence.
Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Friday filed a police complaint against Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj, who claimed in an interview that he had “cracked the skull” of a student activist’s father during a CJP protest in Delhi. Paswan accused Bhardwaj of falsely using his name in connection with the assault.
Paswan’s party legal cell filed the complaint at Parliament Street police station, seeking action against Bhardwaj and protection from what it called his false public claims. A senior police officer said the complaint was being examined, and no case had been registered till Friday.
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