Activist Swatantra Bhardwaj detained in UP as Jantar Mantar assault case intensifies

Activist Swatantra Bhardwaj, accused of assaulting the father of a student protester during a demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, was detained from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, police sources said. He was detained near Dhamra Nara village after police teams traced him to the district. Sources said he had earlier left Naithla village on a motorcycle before an attempt to apprehend him.

The detention came amid rising political pressure after a podcast clip surfaced in which Bhardwaj appeared to boast about assaulting Sanjay Kumar, the father of student protester Nishu Azad. The case relates to a Cockroach Janta Party protest against alleged examination paper leaks at Jantar Mantar on June 23, where Delhi Police said Kumar suffered a head injury during a scuffle.

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According to the FIR, Kumar was recording the protest on his phone when an argument broke out over the filming. The complaint alleged that the confrontation escalated after two to three other men joined in and assaulted him. Kumar alleged that he was punched on the head and struck with a hard object resembling an iron bangle. He was taken to RML Hospital, where doctors recorded two lacerated wounds on his head.

Delhi Police registered a case naming Bhardwaj and Suraj Kumar under Sections 115(2), 126(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police have disputed claims that Kumar’s skull was fractured, saying his medical report described the injuries as simple and did not support the more serious claims made later.

The case returned to the spotlight after the podcast clip showed Bhardwaj claiming that he had “cracked” Kumar’s skull and that the victim required around 60 stitches. “Do you know which section this crime attracts? Section 307, attempt to murder. He was almost dying in the ambulance,” Bhardwaj was heard saying in the clip. He also claimed that he had not been sent to jail and suggested that he enjoyed political connections.

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The remarks triggered demands for his arrest from the CJP and Opposition parties. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioned why Bhardwaj was not in jail and alleged that he was receiving political protection. Delhi Police rejected allegations of political interference and said the investigation had been conducted according to legal procedure.

As pressure grew, CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, Congress representatives and Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad approached Parliament Street police station and demanded action against Bhardwaj. After discussions lasting around two hours, police added relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act to the case, according to India Today’s report.

Police also agreed to obtain further medical opinion before deciding whether to add an attempt-to-murder charge. The viral podcast will also be examined as part of the investigation. Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said police had assured the delegation that Bhardwaj would be arrested within 72 hours. The assurance also covered action over alleged online threats against Nishu Azad.

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Bhardwaj later denied deliberately attacking Kumar and claimed that he had acted in self-defence after being surrounded by 10 to 15 people. “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,” he said. Bhardwaj also claimed to possess video evidence supporting his version, alleged that the podcast clip circulated by Rahul Gandhi and others was “fake”, and denied receiving political protection.

Police are expected to question Bhardwaj about the alleged assault, his remarks in the podcast and the claims of political influence. His detention follows the June 23 protest, the FIR over the assault on Sanjay Kumar, the circulation of the podcast clip and the political demands for action in the case.