New Delhi: Hindutva activist Swatantra Bhardwaj, who claimed that he cracked the skull of a protester’s father during the students’ agitation here only to recant it fearing legal trouble, was detained in Uttar Pradesh’s …

New Delhi: Hindutva activist Swatantra Bhardwaj, who claimed that he cracked the skull of a protester’s father during the students’ agitation here only to recant it fearing legal trouble, was detained in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr on Friday, hours after police promised activists of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and Youth Congress as well as Lok Sabha MP Chandrasekhar that he will be put behind the bars within 72 hoursTrouble mounted for 24-year-old Bhardwaj, who describes himself as ‘Kattar Hindu’ (die-hard Hindu) after video clips of his interview surfaced on social media where he claimed that he cracked the skull of Sanjay Kumar, father of a protester Nishu Azad at Jantar Mantar on June 23. However, he walked back on his claim on Friday saying that he attacked Kumar in self defence to save himself from protesters.Cockroach Janta Party launches legal aid platform for volunteers, supporters; to extend support free of cost Delhi Police had deployed a number of teams to trace him. He had initially managed to give the police a slip in Naithla village and allegedly fled in a motorcycle concealing his identity but was later taken into custody. Police had earlier claimed that Kumar did not suffer serious injuries, contradicting Bhardwaj’s claim and rebutting allegations by CJP co-convenor Saurav Das and Nishu among others.The video clips of Bhardwaj had prompted demands for his immediate arrest with Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi among others pledging their support to Nishu and her father. On Friday, Lok Sabha MP Chandrasekhar, CJP Co-convenors Ashutosh Ranka and Das and Youth Congress Delhi president Akshay Lakhra among others went to Parliament Street Police station with Nishu and her father and demanded that attempt to murder charge be invoked against Bhardwaj besides booking him under Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.A group of CJP supporters also staged a protest outside the police station and were joined by independent MP Pappu Yadav.CJP says Delhi Police assured action against influencer who boasted of ‘cracking skull’ during student stir”The Supreme Court has just quashed and dismissed all the FIRs registered against the students and protesters. However, if you have read the Delhi Police’s affidavit, they said that they need to investigate history-sheeters and hardened criminals and put them in jail…Isn’t the person threatening Nishu one of those 2,800 hardened criminals? Goons like Swatantra Bharadwaj came to Jantar Mantar. Did Delhi Police not identify them?,” Das said.He said the CJP would return to the police station if the assurances were not fulfilled.

Source: Deccan Herald