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Swatantra Bharadwaj on Friday clarified an alleged claim of assaulting the father of CJP activist Nishu Azad during a protest at Jantar Mantar, saying that the incident was an act of "self-defence."

Bharadwaj said that what was being described as an attack was an act of self-defence and claimed that he could have been lynched or killed if he had not acted. His clarification came after a podcast clip surfaced on social media in which he appeared to claim that he had "cracked the skull" of Nishu's father and avoided arrest despite the alleged assault. Bharadwaj told ANI, "What people are calling an attack was an act of self-defence. 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 gheraoed by 10-15 people. When I acted in self-defence, he was hit on the head. As per his medical report from Delhi Police, he did not suffer major injuries. I am cooperating with the ongoing investigation.”

Bharadwaj dismisses viral clip, mentions political ties

He also rejected the authenticity of the podcast clip being circulated on social media, alleging that it was fake. “The podcast clip that is being shared on social media by Rahul Gandhi and others is fake. Those saying that I was released because of influence from Kapil Mishra, I want to tell them that Kapil Mishra and Chirag Paswan are like my brothers. People should understand what was said in sarcasm,” he said.

Political backlash erupts over assault claim

Meanwhile, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has launched a protest in the national capital, demanding legal action against Swatantra Bharadwaj.

Earlier, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal also shared the video related to the Jantar Mantar protest posted by CJP on its X handle and questioned the alleged protection provided to Bharadwaj, who, according to the video, claimed to have attacked people during the demonstration. He questioned whether freedom fighters such as Bhagat Singh had sacrificed their lives for a country where a Prime Minister would "openly protect such thugs". In a post on X, while sharing the video, Kejriwal wrote, “You absolutely must watch this video. Your blood will boil. Did heroes like Bhagat Singh sacrifice their lives for this—that one day the country would get a prime minister who would openly protect such thugs?” (ANI)