New Delhi, Sep 4 (PTI) The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) staged another protest in the Capital on Friday, gathering at the Parliament Street police station to demand action against Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj and dispersing after being assured by police that he would be arrested within 72 hours.
Party representatives said they were informed by police that Bhardwaj, who boasted in an interview that he cracked the skull of a student protester’s father and got away with it, would be booked under charges of attempted murder and criminal intimidation as well as under the SC/ST Act while a separate FIR would be registered over online abuse and objectionable images targeting the assault victim’s daughter.
“After the addition of the SC/ST Act, the victim will undergo another medical examination. Further investigation will be conducted to determine whether a charge under the attempt-to-murder section is required,” a police source said.
The CJP protest came after a clip of an interview of Bhardwaj, who describes himself as a “kattar Hindu” (hardline Hindu) was widely shared on social media, in which he was seen admitting that he “cracked the skull” of student Nishu Azad’s father during the Jantar Mantar 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 video.
CJP co-convener Saurav Das said Delhi Police must ensure that such goons did not go unpunished.
“Goons like Swatantra Bhardwaj came to Jantar Mantar. Did Delhi Police not identify them? He committed attempt to murder,” Das said.
“Delhi Police has assured action in 72 hours. If they don’t fulfil the commitment, we will have to come back. We are standing with the students,” he said.
Hours after the Delhi Police assured CJP that it will arrest Bhardwaj, he managed to flee from Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr before a team reached there to nab him, police sources said.
Bhardwaj had left Naithla village on a Bullet motorcycle towards Khurja and was wearing a helmet to conceal his identity, they said.
The protesters, who included Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) chief and MP Chandra Shekhar Azad and CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka, accused Delhi Police of going soft on Bhardwaj. Security was stepped up around the police station, with additional personnel deployed and barricades put up.
In the interview, Bhardwaj claimed he assaulted Sanjay Kumar, father of Nishu Azad, during the demonstration at Jantar Mantar on July 20. Ranka alleged that Sanjay suffered head injuries, including a skull fracture.
Delhi Police, however, disputed that Sanjay suffered a skull fracture, saying he sustained a minor injury during a scuffle and that a case was registered on his complaint.
Ranka alleged that the accused had openly admitted to assaulting Sanjay and attempting to kill him, but no action was taken because of the influence of BJP workers and Delhi minister Kapil Mishra.
Das alleged that while the protesters were holding a peaceful demonstration at Jantar Mantar, members of a criminal gang reached the site and resorted to violence.
“After the FIR was registered, we continued putting pressure on the police, saying that this was an attempt to murder and that the relevant section should be added,” he added.
“We also demanded that the SC/ST Act be invoked because they (the victims) belong to a Dalit family,” he said.
In his one-hour interview, available on YouTube, Bhardwaj claimed to have political connections
“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 said in the interview, which prompted Congress leader Pawan Khera to mockingly ask in posts on X if Bhardwaj was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambassador for GenZ outreach.
Speaking to reporters, Nishu alleged that she faced verbal abuse and rape threats after she complained about the assault on her father and filed an FIR.
“I was ashamed of even stepping out. For a few weeks I could not go to school, I feel everyone is judging me. I hope police will take action,” she said.
Azad Samaj Party chief and Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad criticised the police.
“We have all seen how the accused has publicly appeared on television channels and admitted to the allegations against him. He has said that they wanted to kill the victim, that they attacked him and that he suffered injuries. Yet, the police did not arrest them,” Azad said.
“They were simply served notices and allowed to leave. The accused is intimidating the victim. He is putting up status updates, threatening to disturb the peace of the country and targeting Muslims. He is doing everything that could harm the country’s communal harmony and unity,” Azad said.
