Activist and social media influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj has been arrested in connection with the alleged assault of the father of a student protester during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) agitation at Jantar Mantar, Delhi.
Bhardwaj was taken into custody on Saturday after being detained a day earlier in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr. Following his arrest, a court reportedly sent him to one-day police custody as investigators continued their probe into the allegations.
The action against Bhardwaj came amid mounting pressure on Delhi Police over his alleged role in the incident. CJP leaders, along with Lok Sabha MPs Chandra Shekhar and Pappu Yadav, had staged a protest outside Parliament Street police station a day earlier, demanding that police take immediate action against the activist.
Police had reportedly assured the protesters that appropriate action would be taken within three days. However, Bhardwaj was detained within hours near Dhamra Nara village in Bulandshahr while allegedly attempting to leave the area.
Bhardwaj’s Podcast Remark Sparks Controversy
The case gained wider attention after Bhardwaj discussed the alleged incident during a podcast and claimed that he had “cracked the skull” of the father of a 14-year-old Dalit student who was participating in the protest at Jantar Mantar.
In the podcast, Bhardwaj also claimed that despite the seriousness of the alleged offence, he was not arrested at the time. Referring to the legal provision he believed could apply to the incident, he said, “Do you know which section this crime attracts? Section 307 (attempt to murder)… But I was not even jailed. The world should know this. I was roaming around all night.”
His comments triggered criticism and intensified demands for police action, eventually leading to protests outside the Parliament Street police station.
Bhardwaj, who identifies himself as a ‘Swatantra Sanatani Yodha’ in his Instagram biography, had come under scrutiny following the resurfacing of his remarks about the alleged assault.
Opposition Leaders Join Demand For Arrest
The demand for Bhardwaj’s arrest gained political momentum after CJP representatives were joined by Lok Sabha MPs Chandra Shekhar and Pappu Yadav during their protest at the Parliament Street police station.
The protesters questioned the delay in action and called for a formal investigation into the allegations. The subsequent detention of Bhardwaj in Bulandshahr came shortly after the police assurance.
With Bhardwaj now in police custody, investigators are expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault, his public statements about the incident and the events that took place during the Jantar Mantar protest.
The case has also drawn attention to the growing role of provocative social media statements in political and protest-related controversies, particularly when such claims concern alleged physical violence.
