Hindu activist Swatantra Bhardwaj was detained in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr on Friday, hours after Delhi Police assured protesters that he would be apprehended within 72 hours over an alleged assault on the father of student activist Nishu Azad during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest in the national capital in July. The detention came after Delhi Police launched a search operation to trace Bhardwaj, who reportedly went into hiding following the alleged incident. Multiple police teams were deployed to locate him as pressure mounted for action against the accused.
The police action followed the circulation of a video clip from an interview in which Bhardwaj is heard allegedly claiming that he had "cracked the skull" of Sanjay Kumar, the father of Nishu Azad. The incident being referred to allegedly took place during a protest in Delhi on July 20. Bhardwaj describes himself as a 'kattar Hindu'. The video clip quickly gained attention and became a major point of contention among protesters demanding his arrest.
According to officials, police teams had been working to track his movements after he allegedly left Naithla village on a Bullet motorcycle and headed towards Khurja before the police team could reach the location to apprehend him. Officials said Bhardwaj was wearing a helmet while travelling, apparently in an attempt to conceal his identity.
CJP protesters demand immediate action
The developments came on a day when the Cockroach Janta Party staged a protest outside the Parliament Street police station in Delhi. The protesters demanded immediate police action against Bharadwaj in connection with the alleged assault on Sanjay Kumar. The protest also put the spotlight on the police response to the complaint and the demand for the accused to be taken into custody.
What did Bharadwaj say over allegations?
Earlier in the day, Bharadwaj responded to allegations that he assaulted the father of Nishu Azad during a protest at Jantar Mantar, claiming that the incident was an act of "self-defence". Bharadwaj said the incident, which has been described by others as an attack, occurred after he was allegedly surrounded by a group of people. He claimed that he could have been lynched or killed had he not acted to protect himself. His clarification came after the clip from a podcast circulated widely on social media.
Speaking to the media, Bharadwaj denied that he had deliberately attacked Nishu's father and maintained that he acted only to defend himself. He claimed that he has video evidence to support his version of events.
"What people are calling an attack was an act of self-defence. If I had not acted in self-defence, I could have been lynched by the mob or killed. There was no attempt to attack him. I have proof in the form of video. I was gheraoed 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 told ANI.
Calls viral podcast clip fake
Bharadwaj also disputed the authenticity of the podcast clip that had triggered renewed attention to the allegations. He claimed that the clip being circulated on social media was fake and alleged that it was being shared by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others.
"The podcast clip that is being shared on social media by Rahul Gandhi and others is fake. Those saying that I was released because of influence from Kapil Mishra, I want to tell them that Kapil Mishra and Chirag Paswan are like my brothers. People should understand what was said in sarcasm," he added.
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