‘Delhi cops had the audacity to arrest me in Bulandshahr’: Influencer held in Jantar Mantar case

Swatantra Bhardwaj’s lawyer accused Delhi Police of having the “audacity” to travel to Bulandshahr and arrest the self-styled right-wing influencer over a case linked to the June protests at Jantar Mantar. The lawyer made the claim as the Delhi High Court heard a habeas corpus petition challenging Bhardwaj’s three-day custody.

The court rejected the petition and sent Bhardwaj to 14 days of judicial custody. His arrest followed a protest by the Cockroach Janta Party outside the Parliament Street police station, where demonstrators demanded action over an alleged assault during the earlier protest.

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The Supreme Court has already quashed all the FIRs and the Delhi Police had the audacity to go to Bulandshahr and arrest me.

Police arrested Bhardwaj in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr on Friday. On the same day, they added provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and criminal intimidation to the FIR concerning the alleged assault on Sanjay Kumar, the father of a teenage student activist.

The case drew attention after a video podcast in which Bhardwaj allegedly claimed that he had “cracked the skull” of the minor activist’s father. He later said he had acted in self-defence. Delhi Police previously described the father’s injuries as “simple in nature.” Bhardwaj is also facing a separate case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

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cracked the skull