New Delhi: Delhi Police have invoked relevant sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against Swatantra Bhardwaj, the Hindutva influencer now viral for claiming he “cracked open” the skull of content creator Nishu Azad’s father during the CJP protest in July and “did not even go to jail” for it.
Nishu, accompanied by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) members, staged a demonstration outside Parliament Street police station Friday to demand the arrest of Bhardwaj and Suraj, another accused in the case. They were also demanding that the police invoke the charge of attempted murder against the duo.
A senior Delhi Police officer told ThePrint that regarding the demand to invoke the charge of attempted murder, the same will be considered on the basis of expert medical opinion.
The CJP had called a protest at Jantar Mantar to highlight its demands for resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and an overhaul of the education system amid concerns heightened by the NEET (UG) 2026 paper leak. As the protesters led a march towards Parliament on 20 July, violence broke out. Tear gas shells were fired, pellet guns used, and multiple police personnel and protesters sustained injuries. Some 13 First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed against protesters, but they have now been quashed.
CJP’s team is at Parliament Street Police Station.
We will ensure justice prevails. pic.twitter.com/3Kl8ysPcFw
— Cockroach Janta Party – CJP (@Cockroachisback) September 4, 2026
Weeks later, a podcast featuring Swatantra Bhardwaj, who claims to be a college student, is viral. In it, he is seen claiming he “cracked open” the skull of a content creator’s father and “did not even go to jail” for his actions.
मुझे अब नेता विपक्ष @RahulGandhi से उम्मीद है वो हमें न्याय जरूर दिलाएंगे।
मैं लडूंगी और इस लड़ाई को जीतूंगी। pic.twitter.com/PDErZcnauV
— Nishu Aazad (@Nishuazad11) September 3, 2026
“I cracked open Nishu’s father’s head. You know which section is added in a case like this. Section 307 half murder is applied. He had seven stitches on his head. He was almost dying, and was going in the ambulance. His daughter stood outside the police station and said, if her father doesn’t get justice, she will consume poison and will die,” Bhardwaj said in the Hindi podcast.
He added, “Swatantra was out the next day. I did not even go to jail. I was roaming around the entire night. The entire world should know this.” Bhardwaj went on, naming political leaders. “Kapil Mishra is like my elder brother. These people (CJP) are saying a call came from Kapil Mishra and I was released. Kapil Mishra is my elder brother, Chirag Paswan is my elder brother, all of them. Tell me which leader you know? You know Modi ji? Modi ji is also my elder brother. I have everyone’s support,” he said.
Asked where he got the sticks used against protesters by plain-clothed individuals including himself during the CJP protest, Bhardwaj pointed at his shoe and said, “This shoe belongs to Delhi Police. We don’t fill forms to join Delhi Police. We automatically join them.”
Bhardwaj, according to his Facebook page, is a Delhi University (DU) student. From Patna, he currently resides in Delhi and regularly posts content about Sanatan and Hindutva.
Also Read: CJP calls off 5 September agitation after SC allows quashing of all FIRs lodged over NEET protests
Case registered, action taken
Questioning the statements made in the podcast, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das took to social media platform X, and asked, “Is this true @CPDelhi? Criminal gang members openly masquerading as police officers—is this not a very urgent security threat in the capital of the country? Is this why the law & order situation is so bad?”
Is this true @CPDelhi? Criminal gang members openly masquerading as Police officers—is this not a very urgent security threat in capital of the country? Is this why law & order situation is so bad? https://t.co/l14aJdJq4n
— Saurav Das (@SauravDassss) September 3, 2026
Sharing a clarification on the same, Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Sachin Sharma said in a statement Thursday that Sanjay Kumar (38), a resident of Ghaziabad, sustained a head injury from the kada (bracelet) worn by one of the accused during a scuffle at the Jantar Mantar protest site on July 23.
“He was medically examined by doctors of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, and the injuries were opined to be simple in nature. The injuries were made by a kada and not by any weapon,” the DCP said. He further clarified that “the misinformation regarding a crack in skull is not supported by facts or a Medico-Legal Case and is completely baseless”.
A case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered at Parliament Street police station. “They were detained from the site and during investigation, Suraj Kumar (24) and Swatantra Bhardwaj (21) were served notices as per law and were interrogated. Due legal action has been taken, and a chargesheet would be filed before the competent court soon,” the DCP told ThePrint.
Demands for arrest
Meanwhile, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said on X, “Allow me to tell you what exactly happened after BJP-protected goon Swatantra Bhardwaj’s attack on Dalit man Sanjay at our Jantar Mantar protest.” Point by point, Das explains and alleges that “Sanjay’s skull was cracked open.”
Allow me to tell you what exactly happened after BJP-protected goon Swatantra Bhardwaj's attack on Dalit man Sanjay at our Jantar Mantar protest:
– Sanjay ji's skull was cracked open. The wound dimensions were of such great size that it obviously warranted an Attempt to Murder…
— Saurav Das (@SauravDassss) September 3, 2026
“The wound dimensions were of such great size that it obviously warranted an Attempt to Murder charge in the FIR (Section 307 of IPC). The Police refused to add that charge. This section would’ve led to his immediate arrest as it is a cognisable and non-bailable offence. To avoid this arrest, the police flat out refused to add this section,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police have mentioned Sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 125(2) (act endangering life or personal safety of others), and 3(5) (common intention) of the BNS in the FIR.
The DCP further clarified, “Any allegation of undue influence or interference in the matter is factually incorrect and baseless. The matter has been dealt with strictly in accordance with law and procedures.”
Nishu Azad, 14, who is a content creator and Sanjay’s daughter, told ThePrint that she has regularly been making content about youth affairs, and had been going to the CJP protests. The incident happened on 23 July, when she and her father were recording videos of the protest for their social media page. “My father began shooting the protest, when all of a sudden, Swatantra and a few men attacked my father. This happened within minutes. The Delhi Police then arrived, and Swatantra hit my father with a kada that he was wearing on his hand. He sustained seven stitches in his head.”
This is an updated version of the report
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
Wonderful. Lock him up and throw away the keys.