Jantar Mantar assault case: Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bharadwaj gets bail
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New Delhi: A Delhi court on Tuesday granted regular bail to Hindutva influencer Swatantra Bharadwaj, who is accused of assaulting the father of student activist Nishu Aazad during a protest at Jantar Mantar in July, Live Law reported.
Sanjay Kumar, Aazad’s father, was allegedly assaulted on July 23 during demonstrations over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations.
Bharadwaj had earlier received interim bail for three weeks on September 15. During the hearing, the court noted gaps in the Delhi Police investigation and directed the investigating officer to submit a status report.
He was detained on September 4 after a purported video circulated in which he appeared to claim that a phone call from Delhi minister Kapil Mishra had helped him avoid arrest. Bharadwaj was subsequently booked for causing simple hurt and wrongful restraint.
After protests by Cockroach Janta Party campaign members, police also invoked provisions of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and criminal intimidation against him. Bharadwaj has maintained that he acted in self-defence.