Influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj has been sent to one-day police custody, hours after he was arrested by Delhi Police over assaulting a protester's father during the Cockroach Janta Party's agitation in July at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, said officials on Saturday.
Bhardwaj, who describes himself as a 'Kattar Hindu', was detained on Friday after a complaint by CJP worker Nishu Aazad, who alleged her father Sanjay was assaulted by him. In a video, she also alleged that the cops have failed to register a first information report (FIR) against Bhardwaj, seeking help from Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.
Aazad also said that a video interview of Bhardwaj has gone viral in which he claimed he had "cracked the skull" of her father and escaped arrest because of his political connections. "I cracked the skull... Do you know which section this crime attracts? Section 307. He needed 60 stitches," Bhardwaj had said in the interview.
Later, Bhardwaj issued a clarification and said he had acted in self-defence. "I was gheroed by 10-15 people. When I acted in self-defence, he was hit on the head. As per his medical report from Delhi Police, he did not suffer major injuries. I am cooperating with the ongoing investigation," he said.
FIR against Bhardwaj and charges
The police have now added provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and criminal intimidation to the FIR against Bhardwaj. Notably, the cops had earlier said the victim's injuries were "simple" in nature and were caused by a steel bracelet.
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.
The developments came after CJP representatives, accompanied by Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) chief and Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad, met police officials at the Parliament Street police station and sought action against Bharadwaj. The delegation had also demanded the addition of attempt-to-murder, criminal intimidation and SC/ST Act provisions to the case and a separate FIR over alleged rape threats and online abuse targeting the minor activist.
(With inputs from PTI)
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