Members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) staged a protest outside Delhi’s Parliament Street police station on Friday, demanding action against Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj over an alleged assault on the father of student protester Nishu Azad during a demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
The protest followed a viral video in which Bhardwaj allegedly appeared to claim that he had assaulted Sanjay Azad during the protest. The CJP has demanded his arrest and sought stronger charges in the case.
CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka reached the Parliament Street police station and met senior police officials. They alleged that the police had failed to take appropriate action despite an FIR being registered. The group also demanded that an attempt-to-murder charge be added to the case and that provisions of the SC/ST Act be applied.
Delhi Youth Congress chief Akshay Lakra said the demand included adding Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code, relating to attempt to murder. He said police had confirmed that the SC/ST Act had already been invoked.
Bhardwaj, however, has rejected the allegations that he deliberately attacked Sanjay. In an interview with ANI, he said he acted in self-defence after being surrounded by 10 to 15 people. He claimed that he feared being lynched and said Sanjay was hit on the head while he was defending himself. He also described the viral clip circulated on social media as fake and said he was cooperating with the investigation.
The dispute has also triggered political reactions. Independent MP Pappu Yadav joined the protesters outside the police station and called for justice. RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha also commented on the allegations, while CJP leaders accused the police of failing to protect the victim.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke questioned Delhi Police over why the alleged accused had not been arrested. The organisation also alleged that political influence was involved in the handling of the case.
Delhi Police has strongly rejected those allegations. New Delhi DCP Sachin Sharma said claims of undue political influence or interference were factually incorrect and baseless.
Heavy security was deployed outside the Parliament Street police station as tensions rose during the protest.
The latest developments come days after the CJP called off a proposed September 5 protest following assurances from the Centre before the Supreme Court. The court had earlier used its powers under Article 142 to quash FIRs related to pan-India protests held between July 20 and 25 over the NEET 2026 examination.
The investigation into the alleged assault remains ongoing, with both sides presenting sharply different accounts of what happened at Jantar Mantar.
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