'Swatantra Bhardwaj to be arrested within 72 hours': CJP protester and daughter of assault victim

Nishu Azad stated Delhi Police promised action against Swatantra Bhardwaj within seventy-two hours

NEW DELHI: CJP protestor Nishu Azad on Friday said Delhi Police had assured her that action would be taken against Swatantra Bhardwaj within 72 hours, as members of the Cockroach Janta Party gathered outside Parliament Street police station demanding strict action over the alleged assault on her father during a protest at Jantar Mantar.Speaking to reporters, Nishu said the incident had deeply affected her and alleged that she had also faced abuse and rape threats from Bhardwaj’s supporters.“Police officers have assured us that Swatantra will be arrested within 72 hours. They have promised to take action, and we hope there will be no further delay,” she said.“For days, his supporters have been abusing me and sending rape threats. I have filed an FIR against them as well. This incident affected me deeply. I stopped going to school for weeks and felt judged by everyone. I hope the police will now act and ensure that I do not have to suffer any further,” Nishu added.Also read: ‘I could have been lynched’: Influencer Swatantra Bharadwaj clarifies ‘cracking skull’ claim during CJP protestThe protest outside Parliament Street police station saw CJP spokesperson Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka demand stringent action against Bhardwaj after a podcast clip went viral in which he purportedly spoke about the Jantar Mantar incident and his alleged political connections.The CJP delegation said it had approached the police seeking justice for Nishu and her father, Sanjay. Heavy police deployment was seen outside the police station.Ashutosh Ranka alleged that Sanjay was beaten during the Jantar Mantar protest and accused Delhi Police of failing to take adequate action.“The criminal is openly admitting to the crime. We will demand that police register a murder case,” Ranka said.Saurav Das also questioned why those accused in the case were allegedly moving freely and said the CJP would continue to press the police for action. Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) MP Chandrashekhar Azad also joined the protest.The controversy centres on an alleged assault on Nishu’s father during a protest at Jantar Mantar months ago. A viral podcast clip later triggered fresh outrage after Bhardwaj purportedly discussed the incident.Bhardwaj, however, has denied assaulting Sanjay and maintained that he acted in self-defence after being surrounded by a group of people.“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,” he said, claiming that he was surrounded by 10-15 people when the incident occurred.He also dismissed the viral podcast clip as fake and claimed that remarks about his political connections had been made sarcastically.Meanwhile, the DCP (New Delhi) said Sanjay’s injuries were “simple in nature” and rejected claims that his skull had been fractured.“The injuries were made by a kada and not by any weapon. The misinformation regarding crack in skull is not supported by facts or the MLC and is completely baseless,” the DCP said.Police said a case had already been registered at Parliament Street police station and two individuals, including Bhardwaj, had been questioned. According to Delhi Police, Bhardwaj and another accused were served notices as per law and interrogated during the investigation.Police said due legal action had been taken and that a chargesheet would be filed before the competent court, while rejecting allegations of political influence or interference in the case.The issue had earlier escalated after Nishu posted a video claiming that her father required stitches following the alleged attack and expressing disappointment over the pace of the investigation. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders have since voiced support for her and targeted the government over the controversy.