CJP protester Nishu Azad said that the Delhi police assured that action would be taken against self-proclaimed Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj within 72 hours.
Speaking to reporters, Azad said, “Police officers have assured us that Swatantra will be arrested within 72 hours. They have promised to take action, and we hope there will be no further delay.
Azad also said that Bhardwaj’s supporters were sending her rape threats and that an FIR was filed against them as well.
“For days, his supporters have been abusing me, sending rape threats. I have filed an FIR against them as well. This incident affected me deeply. I stopped going to school for weeks and felt judged by everyone. I hope the police will now act and ensure that I do not have to suffer any further," she said.
Nishu Azad’s counsel said that a separate FIR is being registered against online threats against her. "We have demanded that a separate FIR be registered against the online threats being made to Nishu. Delhi Police has assured that they could arrest him (Swatantra Bharadwaj) today or within 72 hours. We have given a list of accounts through which online abuse is being directed towards Nishu," the counsel said.
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das and co-convener Ashutosh Ranka were among those protesting outside Parliament Street police station on Friday, demanding stringent action against Bharadwaj after the latter appeared in a viral podcast clip.
In the clip, he purportedly spoke about the Jantar Mantar crackdown on protesters and his alleged political connections. He claimed that he assaulted Sanjay Azad, Nishu's father and escaped jail after he received a call from a BJP leader.
After the comments triggered the sit-in protest by the CJP, Bhardwaj rejected the video as "fake."
"If I had not acted in self-defence, I could have been lynched by the mob or killed. There was no attempt to attack him. I have proof in the form of video. I was gheroed by 10-15 people. When I acted in self-defence, he was hit on the head by my kada," he told ANI.
He also said that the victim did not suffer any serious injuries and that the comments he made about BJP leaders releasing him with their influence were "sarcasm."
CJP’s representatives said that it approached the police seeking justice for Nishu and her father Sanjay.
Sanjay was reportedly beaten durin the Jantar Mantar protest, according to Ranka, who accused the Delhi police of failing to take action. "During a protest at Jantar Mantar, Nishu's father, Sanjay, was beaten up. We kept seeking justice. The situation in Delhi is such now that the criminal is openly admitting to the crime. But Delhi Police, at the behest of the BJP, did not take any action. We have been standing by Nishu and her father. We will demand from police register a murder case."
Saurva Das also questioned why those accused in the case were walking free. He said that the CJP would continue to press the police for action.
Meanwhile, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke took to X to question the DCP. “DCP Sachin Sharma must explain why that Sanghi goon is still not behind bars,” he said.
Aazad Samaj Party kanchi Ram. Party MP Chandrashekar Azad also joined the protest.
Delhi Youth Congress chief Akshay Lakra meanwhile demanded that the Section 307 (attempt to murder) charge be added against Swatantra Bhardwaj over the alleged attack on a protester's father.
“Today, we went inside Parliament Street Police Station with a key demand: that Section 307 (attempt to murder) be added to the case. The police have confirmed that the SC/ST Act has already been invoked,” he told PTI.
