The Delhi Police on Friday detained Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj in Uttar Pradesh, hours after the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) staged a protest outside the Parliament Street police station demanding his arrest over the alleged assault of a student's father, which Bhardwaj had bragged about in an interview.
The detention came after CJP representatives, accompanied by Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) chief and Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad and MP Pappu Yadav, met police officials and were assured that action would be taken against Bhardwaj within 72 hours.
The delegation sought the addition of attempt-to-murder, criminal intimidation and provisions of the SC/ST Act to the case. It also demanded a separate FIR over alleged rape threats, abuse and objectionable images targeting Nishu, daughter of assault victim Sanjay Kumar.
Bhardwaj, 22, who describes himself as a "kattar" (staunch) Hindu, claimed in an interview that he had cracked the skull of Nishu's father and escaped arrest because of his political connections, triggering widespread outrage on social media.
"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 a 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 said in the interview.
CJP co-convener Saurav Das said after the protest that police had committed to taking action against Bhardwaj.
"The Supreme Court has just quashed and dismissed all the FIRs registered against the students and protesters. However, if you have read the Delhi Police's affidavit, they said that they need to investigate history-sheeters and hardened criminals and put them in jail," Das said.
"New Delhi Police should give us an answer. Isn't the person threatening Nishu one of those 2,800 hardened criminals?" he said.
"Goons like Swatantra Bhardwaj came to Jantar Mantar. Did Delhi Police not identify them? He committed attempt to murder. Delhi Police is saving him, no action was taken," Das said.
Das said the CJP would return to the police station if the assurances were not fulfilled. "We came here, talked to Delhi Police. If they don't fulfil the commitment, we will have to come back. We are standing with the students," he said.
Police subsequently launched efforts to trace Bhardwaj, deploying several teams to locate him. Officials said he was detained in Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh later in the day.
Police sources said Bhardwaj fled Naithla village on a Royal Enfield motorcycle towards Khurja before a police team reached there to apprehend him. He was wearing a helmet to conceal his identity, they said.
Responding to allegations of a skull fracture, Delhi Police said Kumar was medically examined at RML Hospital and his injuries were opined to be simple in nature. The injuries, it claimed, were caused by a kada (steel bracelet) and not a weapon.
Bhardwaj and another accused, Suraj Kumar, were detained at the spot, questioned and served notices, police said, adding that a charge sheet would be filed.
Bhardwaj has since claimed that he acted in self-defence. In a podcast, he said he was surrounded by 10-15 people and could have been killed had he not acted.
Nishu alleged that she received online threats following her complaint over the assault on her father.
"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 told media outside the Parliament Street police station.
Nishu alleged that she had faced verbal abuse and rape threats, and that her images were morphed after she spoke out about the assault and filed an FIR.
Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said the AICC law department had deployed six lawyers led by Rishav Ranjan to secure justice for Nishu and that the team had also ensured the filing of a separate complaint concerning the rape threats she had received in recent days.
"These are assurances by the police but they must now translate into prompt, demonstrable action. Rape threats, intimidation and targeted online abuse against a woman cannot be trivialised as mere 'social media incidents'. When they threaten her safety, dignity and liberty, the law must respond with its full force," Singhvi said in a post on X.
Delhi Pradesh Youth Congress President Akshay Lakra, who accompanied Nishu to the police station, said the development was a victory not only for her but also for other students.
A police source meanwhile said that 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," the source said.
Chandrashekhar also criticised the police over their handling of the case, saying Bhardwaj had appeared publicly and spoken about the alleged assault but had not been arrested earlier.
"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," he said.
He said Nishu had been repeatedly threatened with rape, being burnt with acid and being killed.
Bhardwaj claimed in the interview that he had political connections, naming several leaders. "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.
Paswan rubbished Bhardwaj's claims and said he would ensure justice for Nishu's family.
"In public life, many people come to meet us. But if somebody claims on this very basis to be a personal acquaintance of ours, then that is a misuse of our name. The attacker has sought to give the impression that action has not been taken against him because of me and my party. I have lodged a formal complaint against this misuse of my name,” said Paswan.
The Hajipur MP said, "It is indeed a serious matter that the student activist’s father was beaten so severely that he could have died. The attacker has the temerity to brag about the incident on TV, and he roams scot-free. I take full responsibility to ensure justice to the aggrieved family by pursuing the matter with Delhi Police.”
The July 20 incident took place during a CJP protest at Jantar Mantar over the NEET paper leak controversy. The CJP subsequently called off its 36-day agitation on July 25 after the then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned and the government accepted its other demands.
(With inputs from PTI)