Jantar Mantar assault case: Swatantra Bhardwaj arrested, sent to one-day police custody

Security personnel outside the Parliament Street Police Station following Swatantra Bhardwaj’s arrest over the alleged assault on a CJP protester on September 5, 2026. | Photo Credit: Instagram/@kattar_hindu, ANI Delhi Police arrested self-styled Hindutva social media influencer and accused Swatantra Bhardwaj nearly 24 hours after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protested outside the Parliament Street police station on Friday (September 4, 2026), demanding his arrest and stronger charges. He was remanded to one-day police custody by the Patiala House Court in New Delhi, Delhi police told The Hindu.According to the police, Bhardwaj had claimed that he had “cracked open the skull” of a student protester’s father during the protests at Jantar Mantar in July during an interview available on YouTube.Police officers said he had reached Bulandshahr on Friday (September 4, 2026) amid mounting backlash over his remarks in a video podcast. Later, a team of Delhi Police Crime Branch officials detained Bhardwaj from BulandshahrThe arrest followed hours of negotiations between the police and CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, along with student protester Nishu Aazad, whose father, Sanjay, was assaulted. The protesters sought Bhardwaj’s arrest and demanded that more stringent provisions be added to the existing case.An FIR had earlier been registered in connection with the assault. However, the CJP had alleged that the sections initially invoked were inadequate. Following the discussions, Parliament Street police added several provisions to the FIR, including Section 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) pertaining to criminal intimidation, along with provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and sections relating to attempt to murder and grievous injury.Police have also registered a fresh FIR under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on a complaint by the minor victim alleging online threats and harassment. The case also invokes Sections 78 and 79 of the BNS, relating to stalking and insulting the modesty of a woman, besides Section 67 of the Information Technology Act concerning publication or transmission of obscene material.“Strange and Special Hearing for Accused Swantantra Bhardwaj. Today at Patiala House Court around 1:45 he was presented before the judge at his residence, and a special VC arrangement was done for him. The judge was not sitting in court. No idea about which charges are being freshly pressed. No idea about how many days of remand was asked by the police,” said Rishav Ranjan, counsel for Nishu Azad.“Only one day police custody was sought in such a serious offence. Only one day. We did not receive any details on the charges that were added to the FIR. I don’t know what is being hidden,” he said.Meanwhile, Advocate Umesh Sharma, Counsel for Swatantra Bhardwaj, said, “One day of police custody has been given. The police have taken him into custody, and our defence team was fully prepared. We have to sign the vakalatnama and complete many formalities, so we are following all the necessary procedures. His family is also in contact with us. Since this arrest happened suddenly, there is a lot of confusion. They picked him up at night and took him away; we are looking into all these things.” Published - September 05, 2026 03:43 pm IST