Cockroach Janta Party announced a march to Parliament Street Police Station to seek the arrest of Swatantra Bhardwaj for allegedly assaulting Sanjay Kumar.
The altercation occurred on June 23 at Jantar Mantar, leaving student protester Nishu Azad's father, Sanjay Kumar, with head injuries caused by a kada.
Delhi Police dismissed claims of a skull fracture as baseless misinformation, noting that Kumar's injuries were medically classified as simple in nature.
The Cockroach Janta Party marched to Parliament Street Police Station in Delhi on Friday at 10 am to press for action against Swatantra Bhardwaj, a self-proclaimed Hindutva “influencer” whom it wants arrested over an alleged assault during a June protest.
The party says the case relates to Sanjay Kumar, father of student protester Nishu Azad, who was allegedly assaulted during a protest at Jantar Mantar. CJP has alleged that he was attacked by Swatantra Bhardwaj and others. CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka asked supporters to join the visit, while spokesperson Saurav Das said he and other party members would go to the police station to seek justice for Sanjay Kumar.
Nishu said she would accompany her father to the police station. Ranka said, “Every true patriot should join Saurav.. It’s us vs communal, bigoted hate-mongers.” The dispute has widened into a political row after a viral podcast clip in which Bhardwaj appeared to boast about the assault and refer to political backing.
Police Response To Claims
Delhi Police rejected the claim that Kumar suffered a fractured or “cracked” skull and said it was misinformation and completely baseless.
On X, DCP New Delhi said the incident took place on June 23 during the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar. Kumar, 38, a resident of Ghaziabad, suffered a head injury from a kada, or metal bangle, worn by one of the men during a scuffle, police informed.
Kumar was medically examined at RML Hospital. His injuries were classified as “simple in nature”, police informed, adding that the injury was caused by the kada and not a weapon.
A case was registered at Parliament Street Police Station on Kumar’s complaint. Police informed that two men—Suraj Kumar, 24, and Swatantra Bhardwaj, 21—were detained from the protest site, later served notices and interrogated. “Due legal action has been taken, and chargesheet would be filed before the competent court soon,” police said, while denying allegations of political interference.
CJP Makes Allegations
CJP accused police of going soft. Das accused Delhi Police of failing to take stringent action against Bhardwaj. He alleged that Sanjay suffered a serious head injury and that police refused to add Section 307.
“Allow me to tell you what exactly happened after BJP-protected goon Swatantra Bhardwaj's attack on Dalit man Sanjay at our Jantar Mantar protest,” Das said. He alleged that party members had asked police to add a grievous-injury section and invoke the SC/ST Act because the family is Dalit.
Das said DCP Sachin Sharma and ACP Ajay Sharma told protesters to go get a court order when they sought stricter charges. He also alleged that other people involved in the assault had still not been identified despite videos surfacing after the incident and threats being made to Nishu. “Now Bhardwaj openly flaunts of Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra pressuring the Police to release him from the Police Station and not to add any strict sections that can lead to his arrest!” Das said.
Political Fallout Grows
The podcast clip is at the heart of the row. In the clip circulated on social media, Bhardwaj said, “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 a serious condition.”
He added, “But I was not even jailed. The world should know this. I was out and about through the night.” In the same clip, he said, “I have the blessings of Hanuman. 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.”
Rahul Gandhi questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah over the matter and alleged that Bhardwaj was receiving political protection. Neither BJP leader Kapil Mishra nor Union Minister Chirag Paswan issued a public statement or response on Bhardwaj’s claims, PTI reported.
Bhardwaj Issues Clarification
Bhardwaj later denied the broad claim. He clarified that the incident was an act of self-defence. “What people are calling an attack was an act of self-defence. If I had not acted in self-defence, I could have been lynched by the mob or killed,” Bhardwaj said.
He added, “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-defence, he was hit on the head. As per his medical report from Delhi Police, he did not suffer major injuries. I am cooperating with the ongoing investigation,” Bhardwaj said.
He also said, “The podcast clip that is being shared on social media by Rahul Gandhi and others is fake. Those saying that I was released because of influence from Kapil Mishra, I want to tell them that Kapil Mishra and Chirag Paswan are like my brothers. People should understand what was said in sarcasm,” Bhardwaj said. He claimed to be cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
