Swatantra Bhardwaj, an influencer, has been accused of striking a student activist’s father during a protest organized by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar in June. Bhardwaj asserts that his actions were in self-defense, stating he was nearly attacked by a mob at the time of the incident.
What Delhi Police Said
Sanjay Kumar, father of teenage CJP protester Nishu, was attacked on the head during a protest in July that led to the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Bhardwaj is accused of launching the assault on Kumar, about which he boasted on a podcast. “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. CJP supporters, led by spokesperson Saurav Das and co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka, marched to the Parliament Street Police Station in Delhi from Patel Chowk to press for Bhardwaj’s arrest. CJP supporters have been joined by Azad Samaj Party chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad and are staging a protest outside the police station, demanding Bhardwaj’s arrest. “There is a minor who has been associated with our protest right from day one. Her father, Sanjay Ji, also comes with her. “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. There is also a caste angle to the matter. But the police did not take any such action. CJP is asking Delhi Police to register a case of an attempt to murder and change the sections of the FIR.
Because they belong to a Dalit family, we also demanded that the SC/ST Act be invoked. Based on Kumar’s complaint, two individuals — 24-year-old Suraj Kumar and 21-year-old Swatantra Bhardwaj — were served notices and interrogated.
When we were holding a peaceful sit-in protest when some members of a criminal gang entered our protest and resorted to violence,” Das told mediapersons outside the police station. When we pressured the police, they told us to approach the court and obtain an order,” he added. Due legal action has been taken, and a chargesheet will be filed before the competent court soon, Delhi Police said.
