Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj , who is under fire over his alleged claim that he “cracked” a person’s skull during the Jantar Mantar protest in July, has now said he acted in “self-defence” and added that he “would do it again if cornered”.
Because you raise your voice for the rights of your community and students, it’s clear that you’re being targeted. The controversy broke out after a podcast clip went viral, in which Bhardwaj could be heard claiming to have attacked Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) activist Nishu Aazad’s father during the NEET-UG protests in Delhi and facing no police action. Follow live updates related to CJP’s protest in Delhi here . The clip sparked an uproar on social media, with several political leaders reacting to it, including leader of opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi . Speaking in an interview, Bhardwaj claimed that he hit the protester’s father with his kada (iron bracelet) while defending himself. I’m with you. “Amit Shah’s Delhi Police, on one hand, commits inhuman brutality against students. With inputs from agencies
“I struck Nishu’s father on the head with my kada (iron bracelet) in self-defence,” he told NDTV. In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, “Nishu, there’s no need to panic. On the other hand, the criminal who smashed the head of a Dalit girl’s father is roaming freely in the open,” he said.
They also demanded justice for Nishu Aazad and her father, Sanjay. The situation in Delhi is such now that the criminal is openly admitting to the crime. But Delhi Police, at the behest of the BJP, did not take any action. We have been standing by Nishu and her father. We will demand from police to register a murder case. Nishu Aazad, who took part in the Jantar Mantar protest in July, had appealed to Gandhi for support. She alleged that Delhi Police had failed to take action against the person who attacked her father, leaving him with head injuries.
Bhardwaj also said he would respond in the same manner if he faced similar attempts to target him in the future. “If I am cornered like that again and attempts are made to target me, I will strike with my kada once more,” he added. Ranka said, “We kept seeking justice. Delhi Police, however, said Nishu’s father suffered a head injury after being hit with a kada during a scuffle. The police rejected reports claiming there was a “crack in skull”, calling them “misinformation”.
CJP co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka went to the Parliament Street Police Station in New Delhi on Friday, seeking registration of a case against Bhardwaj. Gandhi on Thursday alleged that Union home minister Amit Shah was protecting Bhardwaj and questioned whether the accused would face any action.
