Self-styled influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj, accused of assault at CJP protest, detained after escape bid in UP: Cops
Here's the latest protest news from across India:
Self-styled influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj was detained in Uttar Pradesh on Friday in connection with the alleged assault on the father of student activist Nishu Aazad during a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar , police shared, adding that he tried to escape but was caught later.
Adding to this, The arrest of Swatantra Bhardwaj came amid mounting pressure on Delhi Police (Instagram/@bhardwaj_swatantra_official) Bhardwaj was detained in Bulandshahr. Police shared he had tried to escape but was caught, HT has learnt. Follow live updates related to CJP's protest over Bhardwaj here.
Meanwhile, The move came amid mounting pressure on Delhi Police following a widely shared video of an interview in which Bhardwaj appeared to claim that he had “cracked the skull” of Nishu’s father, Sanjay Kumar, during the July 20 protest.
Notably, The protesters, joined by Azad Samaj Party chief and Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad and other supporters, accused Delhi Police of failing to take adequate action despite Bhardwaj’s purported admission.
As per the latest buzz, Police had assured the delegation that Bhardwaj would be arrested within 72 hours. The protesters also demanded that the case include charges of attempt to murder, criminal intimidation and provisions of the SC/ST Act.
In further updates, Police had shared Bhardwaj and another accused, Suraj Kumar, were detained at the Jantar Mantar protest, questioned and served notices. Officials maintained that the investigation was continuing and a chargesheet would be filed.
On top of that, The row erupted after a clip from a one-hour interview of Bhardwaj, who describes himself as a “kattar Hindu”, went widely shared on social media.
In the video, Bhardwaj appeared to claim that he had attacked Sanjay Kumar and shared he escaped being jailed despite the seriousness of the alleged offence.
Source: Hindustan Times