Delhi Police Get One-Day Custody Of Swatantra Bhardwaj

Swatantra Bhardwaj, the center of a highly talked-about assault scandal, has been put behind bars for one day at the instance of a Delhi court. He appeared in court at the Karkardooma Court Complex in New Delhi on Saturday, after being picked up days ago by the Delhi Police, amid a case dating back to July. The Delhi Police arrested Swatantra Bhardwaj on Friday from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, several months after he allegedly attacked Sanjay Kumar, who happens to be the father of Nishu Azad, an activist student, during a demonstration conducted by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

Custody Order Follows Court Appearance In Delhi

The order for his custody has been made just after Bhardwaj's appearance in court. The police need some time to interrogate him regarding the allegations. There is another news that a fresh case has been registered under the POCSO Act. It has been done in light of the complaint made in regard to a victim. Moreover, charges under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have also been added to the FIR about the July attack.

Viral Video Sparked Wider Political Row

This issue took an even more serious turn when a video surfaced wherein Bhardwaj claimed that he had “cracked the skull” of Sanjay Kumar. According to Bhardwaj, he got away from being arrested due to his connections. However, Bhardwaj has later denied any assault against Kumar. Instead, he stated that he acted in self-defence after being surrounded by protestors. For weeks, the CJP has been demanding Bhardwaj's arrest. CJP organised protests outside Parliament Street police station. On the other hand, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) distanced themselves from Bhardwaj.

-Ishita Ranjan