New Delhi: High-voltage political tensions erupted outside Central Delhi's Parliament Street Police Station on Friday, September 4, 2026, as hundreds of leaders and supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) staged a demonstration demanding the immediate arrest of self-styled right-wing influencer Swatantra Bharadwaj. The outrage followed a viral podcast interview where Bharadwaj openly boasted about assaulting Sanjay Kumar—the father of minor student activist Nishu Azad—during an agitation at Jantar Mantar, claiming he had cracked his skull and evaded jail due to political connections. Following hours of negotiations inside the police station, Delhi Police gave a formal commitment to a delegation that Bharadwaj would be arrested within a 72-hour window.

Parliament Street Police Station Gherao and Key Demands

The delegation was led by CJP co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, alongside student activist Nishu Azad and her injured father Sanjay Kumar. They were accompanied by prominent opposition leaders including Nagina MP and Aazad Samaj Party chief Chandrashekhar Azad, Purnia MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, and Delhi Youth Congress representatives:

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  • Upgrading Legal Charges: The delegation demanded that the police upgrade initial lenient provisions to Section 307 (Attempt to Murder) under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and invoke stringent sections under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
  • Police Concessions: Senior officers agreed to invoke the SC/ST Act and confirmed that a fresh medical evaluation of Sanjay Kumar's injuries is underway to formally determine the inclusion of attempt-to-murder charges.
  • FIR on Rape Threats: Nishu Azad submitted a formal complaint detailing persistent verbal harassment, doxxing, and rape threats issued by Bharadwaj's online followers over recent weeks, which authorities accepted for an independent probe.

Podcast 'Confession' vs Self-Defence Claims

The confrontation gained national traction after a clip from a YouTube podcast surfaced online, in which Bharadwaj claimed that he attacked Sanjay Kumar during a July 20 protest at Jantar Mantar, alleging the victim received around 60 stitches and insinuating that political calls shielded him from arrest. The video prompted sharp rebukes from opposition leaders, with Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi questioning the administration over apparent impunity for the influencer.

In response, Bharadwaj released a video statement claiming his podcast comments were sarcastic, taken out of context, and asserting that he acted in self-defence after being surrounded by 10 to 15 individuals. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) stated that Kumar's Medico-Legal Case (MLC) from RML Hospital classified the head wounds as simple injuries sustained from an iron kada (bangle) rather than a bladed weapon, dismissing claims of a fractured skull.

Manhunt Underway Across Western Uttar Pradesh

Shortly after the 72-hour arrest assurance was issued to protesters, plainclothes teams dispatched to track Bharadwaj in western Uttar Pradesh reported that the influencer had fled from Naithla village in Bulandshahr on a motorcycle towards Khurja, attempting to conceal his identity under a helmet. Coordinated tracking operations are currently underway across adjoining districts to trace and apprehend him before the deadline expires.