NEW DELHI: Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan has filed an official complaint against Swatantra Bharadwaj over the latter’s remarks in a podcast about the Jantar Mantar protest incident, saying that bragging about a violent assault without facing action could set a “very wrong example” before the country.Paswan’s remarks came after Swatantra Bharadwaj, who has been accused of assaulting the father of student activist Nishu Azad during CJP’s protest at Jantar Mantar, mentioned the names of Chirag and BJP leader Kapil Mishra while speaking about the incident on a podcast.“This incident is extremely serious. The way a person is openly admitting that he beat someone so severely that it could possibly have led to their death. To openly admit this on a podcast and even after that, if no action is taken against him, then I believe this will set a very wrong example before the country and the people. Understanding the seriousness of this matter, and because that person has misused my name along with the names of several politicians, I have also filed an official complaint against that person. At the same time, I have urged the Delhi Police that there should be a fair investigation into this matter…,” Paswan said.The development comes as Swatantra Bharadwaj, accused of assaulting Nishu Azad’s father during the Jantar Mantar protest, has been taken into custody.Bhardwaj’s detention came after representatives of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), accompanied by MPs Chandrashekhar Azad and Pappu Yadav, approached officials at the Parliament Street police station and pressed for his arrest.
Why Chirag Paswan complained
Swatantra Bharadwaj came under heightened scrutiny after a video of his podcast interview circulated widely on social media. In the interview, he appeared to admit that he had “cracked the skull” of Nishu Azad’s father during the Jantar Mantar protest.He also referred to several political figures while speaking about how he allegedly avoided being jailed after the incident. The CJP subsequently demanded that senior BJP leaders clarify whether any political intervention had taken place.Chirag Paswan has now distanced himself from Bharadwaj’s invocation of his name, saying that it was misused and that he had consequently filed a complaint.His intervention also adds a new dimension to the controversy, with the Union minister calling for a fair investigation into the allegations rather than allowing the matter to be settled through competing claims made in public.
CJP had sought Bharadwaj’s arrest
The CJP had been pressing the Delhi Police to arrest Bharadwaj and had accused the force of failing to take adequate action against him after the Jantar Mantar incident.On Friday, CJP representatives said police had assured them that Swatantra Bharadwaj would be arrested within 72 hours. The delegation also sought the addition of further provisions to the FIR, including attempt to murder and sections of the SC/ST Act, in connection with the alleged assault.
Podcast remarks intensified controversy
The case gained wider attention after Swatantra Bharadwaj’s podcast interview, in which he appeared to claim that he had seriously assaulted Nishu’s father and that the incident had not resulted in his being jailed.The police, however, had disputed the severity of the injuries, saying that Nishu’s father suffered a simple head injury during a scuffle and rejecting the claim that his skull had been fractured.His remarks about political connections further intensified the controversy. The CJP has sought clarification from senior BJP leaders over his allegations that political influence had helped him avoid jail.(With agency inputs)
