Influencer Swatantra Bharadwaj on run after assaulting student's father detained
What's the story
Swatantra Bharadwaj, a self-proclaimed influencer accused of assaulting a student's father during the protest at Jantar Mantar, has been detained. Reports earlier said he had fled Bulandshahr. PTI reported that he left his village on a Bullet motorcycle toward Khurja after the Delhi Police assured the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) of his arrest. The report said that several plainclothes police teams were on the lookout for him. He has since been detained in Bulandshahr.
Protest escalation
Bharadwaj to be booked under multiple charges
The CJP had earlier staged another protest at the Parliament Street police station on Friday, demanding Bharadwaj's arrest over the assault.
Party representatives said police informed them Bharadwaj would be booked under attempted murder and criminal intimidation charges, along with SC/ST Act violations.
They also said a separate FIR would be filed over online abuse targeting the assault victim's daughter.
Call for justice
CJP threatens to escalate protests
CJP co-convener Saurav Das demanded accountability from Delhi Police, saying, "Goons like Swatantra Bharadwaj came to Jantar Mantar. Did Delhi Police not identify them?"
He threatened further protests if police didn't act within 72 hours.
The protesters included Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) chief and MP Chandra Shekhar Azad and CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka, who accused Delhi Police of leniency toward Bharadwaj.
Assault admission
'I cracked the skull of Nishu's father'
In a viral clip from a podcast, Bhardwaj claimed that he "cracked the skull" and was "not even jailed."
"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 serious condition."
Bhardwaj allegedly said a call from Delhi minister Kapil Mishra saved him from jail after the alleged assault.
Online harassment
Bharadwaj later claimed 'self-defense'
Bharadwaj later claimed "self-defense."
"If I had not acted in self-defense, I could have been lynched by the mob or killed. There was no attempt to attack him. I have proofs in the form of video. I was gheroed by 10-15 people. When I acted in self-defense, he was hit on the head by my kada," he was quoted as saying by ANI.