New Delhi: The Congress, AAP and the CJP on Thursday targeted the BJP after a video surfaced in which self-styled Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj, accused of attacking the father of a student protester at Jantar Mantar in July, purportedly claims that a phone call from Delhi minister Kapil Mishra helped him avoid jail.
In the video, Bhardwaj is heard speaking about the attack on Sanjay, father of teenage protester Nishu Azad, and claiming that the latter suffered a serious head injury requiring 60 stitches.
“I cracked the skull of Nishu’s father. 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 is heard saying in the video.
“I have the blessings of Hanuman upon me. And 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 says.
PTI reached out to Mishra, Paswan and the Delhi Police for their response to the allegations but received no comment till the time of filing this report.
Sharing the video, Congress’s social media and digital platforms chairperson Supriya Shrinate said, “This is Swatantara Bharadwaj. Proudly stating that an attack was made on the father of a protester — he needed 60 stitches and was on the brink of death. A half murder case under Section 307 was applicable, but he didn’t go to jail; he roamed around fearlessly all night. After one phone call from Kapil Mishra, he got relief. He further states that not just Kapil Mishra and Chirag Paswan, even Modi ji is his ‘big brother’ and he has everyone’s support.”
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal also shared the video and attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“You absolutely must watch this video. Your blood will boil. Did heroes like Bhagat Singh sacrifice their lives for this, that one day the country would get a prime minister who would openly protect such thugs?” Kejriwal asked.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demanded action against Bhardwaj and questioned why Delhi Police had not acted on what it described as an open admission.
“This guy is openly admitting that he attacked people at Jantar Mantar and that BJP leaders provided him immunity from police action afterwards. How much more openly does someone have to admit it before @DelhiPolice takes action?” the outfit said on its official handle.
The case relates to an attack on Sanjay during the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar in July. His daughter Nishu had been participating in and documenting the student agitation.
The CJP has alleged that Sanjay suffered serious head injuries in the attack and that police did not invoke stringent provisions against Bhardwaj despite the nature of the injuries.
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das alleged that Sanjay’s “skull was cracked open” and that the nature of the wound warranted an attempt-to-murder charge, but police refused to add it to the FIR.
Such a provision would have led to Bhardwaj’s immediate arrest as it was a cognisable and non-bailable offence. However, Deputy Commissioner Sachin Sharma and Assistant Commissioner Ajay Sharma refused the demand and told them to “go get a court order”, Das alleged.
“So tell us why should Mishra not be made an accomplice in the FIR since he illegally interfered with the course of justice? Why should he not resign for protecting gang members and abusing his office? Does BJP’s leadership support this?” Das wrote on X.
Bhardwaj has a sizeable social media presence, with 1.84 lakh users following his Instagram account. His profile describes him as a “Swatantra Sanatani Yodha”.
He had posted several videos on his Instagram account targeting those participating in the CJP agitation.
In one video following the July 20 protest, he called the protesters “terrorists” and “cockroaches” and demanded that “staunch sanatanis” like him be allowed to act as Delhi Police personnel for a day.
In another video, Bhardwaj claimed that the men in civilian clothes accused of assaulting protesters were actually police personnel, and the “real goons have now arrived”, calling upon “gaurakshaks and sanatani supporters” to remain alert.
