Assault Row Escalates as Influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj Is Detained

New Delhi, September 04, 2026 The alleged attack on the father of student activist Nishu Azad has taken a new turn after influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj was detained in Uttar Pradesh on Friday, according to Delhi Police. The case is connected to the Cockroach Janta Party's July protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and has since grown into a wider controversy involving allegations of violence and caste-based discrimination. Police are considering stronger legal provisions in the case. Sources told that the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act may be added to the FIR because the victim, Sanjay Kumar, is from the Scheduled Caste community. While the existing FIR includes assault-related sections, there have also been demands to apply attempt-to-murder charges. The police are likely to examine medical advice before deciding whether the nature of the injuries warrants additional sections. The demand for action gained momentum when CJP co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, along with supporters, reached the Parliament Street police station. Azad Samaj Party MP Chandrashekhar Azad and independent MP Pappu Yadav, who is aligned with the Congress, were also present. Youth Congress activists joined the gathering, while Rahul Gandhi later supported Nishu Azad on X and alleged that the attack on her and her family was also linked to their Dalit identity. The controversy intensified after a video from a podcast went viral, in which Bhardwaj, who describes himself as a "kattar (hardline) Hindu", allegedly spoke about the assault on Sanjay Kumar. He claimed to have "cracked the skull" of Nishu's father and also spoke about not being sent to jail. "Do you know which section this crime attracts? Section 307. He needed 60 stitches. The man was being taken away in an ambulance in a serious condition. His daughter was standing outside the police station and saying that she would die by suicide if her father didn't get justice. But I was not even jailed. The world should know this. I was out and about through the night," Bhardwaj is heard saying in the video clip. In the same video, Bhardwaj allegedly claimed that he had direct patronage from BJP leader Kapil Mishra and Union Minister Chirag Paswan of BJP ally LJP. Paswan has since filed a police complaint against him over the alleged misuse of his name. With Bhardwaj now detained and the possibility of additional legal provisions under consideration, the case continues to draw attention over the alleged assault and the circumstances surrounding it.