NEW DELHI:
A Delhi court on Monday remanded Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with the alleged assault on the father of a student activist during a protest at Jantar Mantar.
Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler extended Bhardwaj’s judicial custody until September 21. He had been detained in Bulandshahr on Friday, shortly after the Cockroach Janta Party staged a protest outside the Parliament Street police station demanding his arrest.
The case relates to the alleged assault on Sanjay Kumar, the father of a teenage student activist, during a protest at Jantar Mantar in June. The controversy intensified after an interview circulated in which Bhardwaj allegedly claimed that he had “cracked the skull” of the activist’s father.
Bhardwaj had subsequently claimed that he acted in self-defence.
Delhi Police has added provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and criminal intimidation to the FIR. The police had earlier said that Kumar’s injuries were simple in nature and were allegedly caused by a steel bracelet.
A separate FIR has also been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act following a complaint by the minor activist alleging online threats and harassment.
Police have reportedly invoked provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to criminal intimidation, stalking and insulting the modesty of a woman, besides Section 67 of the Information Technology Act.
The minor activist has alleged that she was subjected to rape threats, verbal abuse and circulation of morphed images after speaking publicly about the alleged assault on her father and filing a police complaint.
The developments followed protests by CJP representatives seeking stronger action against Bhardwaj. The delegation, accompanied by Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) chief and Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad, had met police officials and demanded that additional charges be included in the case.
Bhardwaj had earlier approached the Delhi High Court challenging his arrest. The High Court agreed to hear his plea urgently on Monday.