'A complaint & a warning': Supporters of Swatantra Bhardwaj stage protest in Delhi

Swatantra Bhardwaj, a self-styled influencer and activist, has been arrested and held in police custody for one day in connection with an alleged assault on a protester's father. The accused had claimed to have "cracked open the skull" of the protester's father at Jantar Mantar during the July protests.

Bhardwaj was apprehended on Friday at around 2 pm from his residence in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, by Crime Branch officials who feared public backlash over his comments on a video podcast. The arrest occurred a day after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) staged a protest outside the Parliament Street Police Station to demand Bhardwaj's arrest. The CJP leaders had negotiated with the police for hours to add more charges to the FIR (First Information Report) related to the assault case.

According to Bhardwaj, he had allegedly attacked Sanjay Kumar (38), a Ghaziabad resident, who sustained a head injury during a scuffle at Jantar Mantar. Bhardwaj claimed that the victim required 60 stitches and was on the brink of death. He also alleged that he avoided imprisonment due to the intervention of a politician. Bhardwaj further boasted about the police receiving a call from a Delhi-based politician who treated him like an "elder brother".

In another video, Bhardwaj can be seen boasting about using a thick bangle (kada) to attack protesters and admitting to the crime. He also appeared to reference the ASP's preference for a blue color by saying he "drenched a blue pigeon in blood". Bhardwaj's statements indicate that he and other accused are prepared for potential retaliation, claiming that they "do things" and could face "belt treatment" or "khatta (country pistol) treatment" in the future.