New Delhi: In a swift operation following escalating political confrontations outside the Parliament Street police station, self-styled Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj was apprehended and detained by police from Bulandshahr in western Uttar Pradesh. The detention followed intense pressure from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the Indian Youth Congress, and Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad, after a video interview surfaced in which Bhardwaj purportedly boasted about assaulting the father of a student protester during demonstrations near Jantar Mantar. For official criminal justice procedures and statutory guidelines on public assembly, visit the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The Viral Podcast and Allegations of Assault

The controversy reignited after a widely circulated podcast showed Bhardwaj claiming he had fractured the skull of Sanjay Kumar, the father of a student activist, during a demonstration over competitive exam paper leaks at Jantar Mantar. In the footage, Bhardwaj allegedly claimed the victim required nearly 60 stitches and asserted that he avoided incarceration due to high-level political patronage and interventions, openly questioning why he had not been booked for attempt to murder under Section 307.

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Parliament Street Gherao and SC/ST Act Invocations

Following the circulation of the clip, CJP spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, accompanied by the victim and opposition MPs, marched to the Parliament Street police station demanding immediate custodial action:

  • Addition of Atrocity Charges: After hours of deliberation, police agreed to invoke relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against the accused.
  • Separate POCSO Case Registered: Authorities also lodged an FIR under provisions of the POCSO Act and criminal intimidation after the student activist reported receiving severe cyber harassment and rape threats following the incident.
  • Police Response: While Delhi Police maintained that earlier hospital reports recorded lacerated injuries rather than a skull fracture, they assured demonstrators of swift legal action, tracking Bhardwaj to western UP within hours.

Detention in Bulandshahr and Self-Defence Defense

Multiple police squads tracked Bhardwaj to Dhamra Nara village in Bulandshahr, apprehending him after an earlier attempt where he allegedly attempted to evade surveillance on a motorcycle. Bhardwaj, while confirming the scuffle, contended on social channels that his actions were executed strictly in self-defence against an aggressive mob. Senior police officials confirmed that the accused is being brought to the capital for detailed custodial interrogation regarding the assault, online threats, and unauthorized claims of administrative leverage.