New Delhi, September 4: Swatantra Bharadwaj, accused of assaulting the father of a student during a protest at Jantar Mantar, fled Bulandshahr hours after Delhi Police assured the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) that he would be arrested, reported The Times of India (TOI) on Friday.
According to the report, Bharadwaj left Naithla village on a Bullet motorcycle and headed towards Khurja. He was reportedly wearing a helmet to conceal his identity. Several police teams in plain clothes were deployed to trace him, while local journalists were also questioned during the search. Efforts are continuing to locate and apprehend him.
The development comes after a video clip from an interview with Bharadwaj circulated, in which he claimed to have “cracked the skull” of Sanjay Azad, father of student Nishu Azad, during the Jantar Mantar protest.
The CJP held another protest at the Parliament Street police station in the capital on Friday. Party representatives said police had assured them that Bharadwaj, who had allegedly boasted in an interview about assaulting the father of a student protester and escaping consequences, would be booked for attempted murder and criminal intimidation, as well as under the SC/ST Act.
They also said a separate FIR would be registered over online abuse and objectionable images targeting the assault victim’s daughter. A police source said that following the addition of the SC/ST Act, the victim would undergo another medical examination. Further investigation would determine whether the attempt-to-murder section was applicable.
The protesters included Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) chief and MP Chandra Shekhar Azad and CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka. They accused Delhi Police of going soft on Bharadwaj.
Ranka alleged that Sanjay had suffered head injuries, including a skull fracture. Delhi Police, however, disputed the claim, saying Sanjay had sustained a minor injury during a scuffle and that a case had been registered based on his complaint.
CJP leader Saurav Das alleged that members of a criminal gang reached Jantar Mantar while protesters were holding a peaceful demonstration and resorted to violence. “After the FIR was registered, we continued putting pressure on the police, saying that this was an attempt to murder and that the relevant section should be added,” he said. “We also demanded that the SC/ST Act be invoked because they (the victims) belong to a Dalit family,” Das added.
What did Swatantra Bharadwaj claim?
In the one-hour interview, which is available on YouTube, Bharadwaj also claimed to have political connections.
“I have the blessings of Hanuman upon me. And secondly, Kapil Mishra is my elder brother. They say Kapil Mishra called and I was released. Chirag Paswan is my elder brother. How many leaders do you know? Do you know Modi ji? Modi ji is also my elder brother. I have everyone’s support,” he said. Das called on senior BJP leaders to respond to the claims. “If the goon is openly saying Kapil Mishra and Chirag Paswan made the calls and he was released, top leaders of BJP should clarify on this,” he said.
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