Hindutva man Bhardwaj flouts bail terms; challenges Bhim Army chief

New Delhi: Hindutva worker Swatantra Bhardwaj, who is currently out on interim bail, has challenged Bhim Army leader Chandrasekhar Azad despite court restrictions barring him from public displays, social media activity and speaking to the press.

A video of Bhardwaj surfaced on social media on September 17, a day after he was granted interim bail while his regular bail plea remains pending. In the video, he claimed that some of his supporters’ vehicles had been attacked while he was in jail. He blamed groups he referred to as Jatav for the alleged attacks and warned of retaliation.

Bhardwaj portrayed himself as a “Brahmin lion” ready to settle the score over the alleged assault. He also directed the challenge at Chandrasekhar Azad, whom he referred to as “Raavan” and the “insects’ baap”. He called on the Bhim Army chief to face him directly.

His remarks, which included casteist references, triggered outrage on social media. The controversy also drew attention to the conditions attached to his interim bail. The Delhi court had directed him not to disrupt law and order or turn his release into a public celebration. The court had also stressed that bail represented judicial trust rather than something to be publicly displayed.

Bhardwaj was arrested in connection with an alleged assault on the Dalit father of a Cockroach Janta Party protester. He later spoke about the incident during a podcast interview.

The Hindutva worker is also a gau rakshak. He had claimed that he received protection from people he described as his “brothers” in Delhi’s law-and-order setup. He specifically mentioned BJP leader Kapil Mishra and other senior ministers in this connection.

The emergence of the video has therefore intensified scrutiny of Bhardwaj’s conduct while he remains under bail restrictions.