New Delhi: A Delhi court on Saturday remanded self-styled Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj to police custody for 24 hours as investigators probe his alleged role in attacking the father of a teenage activist during a July demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
Bhardwaj was brought before Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler at the judge’s residence in Karkardooma around 2 pm.
His court-appointed lawyer joined the proceedings through video link. The influencer had been expected to appear in person at the Patiala House complex, but the hearing was held at the judge’s home instead, as reported by The New Indian Express.
The remand order came less than a day after Delhi Police picked up Bhardwaj in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday. His detention followed a protest by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporters outside the Parliament Street police station, where they demanded immediate action against him.
SC/ST, POCSO Charges Added
According to police and media reports, investigators have now strengthened the original assault case by adding sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and provisions relating to criminal intimidation to the first information report (FIR).
In a parallel development, a fresh FIR has been registered against Bhardwaj under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, based on a complaint filed by the minor activist.
In the POCSO-linked case, police have reportedly invoked Sections 351(3), 78 and 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 67 of the Information Technology Act.
The minor had earlier alleged that she was subjected to rape threats, verbal abuse and morphed images after she spoke out about the attack on her father and lodged a police complaint.
Viral ‘Cracked Skull’ Claim Triggers Action
The demand for stricter charges intensified after an interview with Bhardwaj went viral, in which he allegedly boasted that he had “cracked the skull” of the activist’s father during the July 20 protest and escaped arrest because of his political links.
“I cracked the skull… Do you know which section this crime attracts? Section 307. He needed 60 stitches,” Bhardwaj said in the interview.
Delhi Police had previously stated that the victim sustained “simple” injuries caused by a steel bracelet (kada), not a skull fracture. Bhardwaj later claimed he had acted in self-defence during the scuffle.
The latest legal moves followed a meeting between CJP representatives and senior police officers at the Parliament Street police station.
The CJP delegation, which included Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) chief and Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad, pressed for the inclusion of attempt-to-murder, criminal intimidation and SC/ST Act provisions in the assault case.
It also demanded a separate FIR to address the alleged online harassment and rape threats directed at the minor activist.
