'No need to panic. I am with you': Rahul Gandhi as CJP protests at Parliament Street police station over attack on activist's father

Members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Friday staged a protest at Delhi's Parliament Street police station, demanding justice for Sanjay Kumar, the father of Jantar Mantar protester Nishu Azad.

The demonstration was sparked by an alleged attack on Kumar by a youth named Swatantra Bhardwaj, alongside CJP's allegations of severe police inaction.

Led by CJP leader Sourav Das, protesters gathered at the police station, while a delegation comprising Nishu, Chandrashekhar Azad, Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka separately approached the DCP office.

The podcast controversy 

The issue recently flared up after the accused, Swatantra Bhardwaj, openly confessed to the attack on a podcast, claiming his political connections kept him out of jail. Following public backlash, Bhardwaj issued a clarification, stating his podcast remarks were misrepresented and that he had only acted in self-defense.

Rahul Gandhi intervenes 

After Nishu posted a video appealing for help, Rahul Gandhi assured her of his full support. Gandhi took to X and wrote, “Nishu, no need to panic. I am with you. It is clear you were targeted because you raise the voice of your community and students. Amit Shah's Delhi Police on one hand commits inhumane brutality against students. On the other hand, a criminal who cracked the head of a Dalit girl's father roams free."

Gandhi directly questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, asking why the criminal enjoyed political protection and asserting that the fight will not stop until justice is served. 

Delhi Police issues clarification 

The police in a statement said that on June 23, at Jantar Mantar, during the CJP protest, Sanjay Kumar (38), a resident of Ghaziabad, sustained a head injury by Kada worn by one of the alleged during a scuffle.

He was medically examined by Doctors of RML Hospital, and the injuries were opined to be simple in nature. The injuries were made by kada and not by any weapon. The misinformation regarding crack in skull is not supported by facts/ MLC and is completely baseless, the statement read. 

It further added that on the victim’s statement, a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at police station Parliament Street. They were detained from the site and during investigation, Suraj Kumar (24) and Swatantra Bhardwaj (21) were served notices as per law and were interrogated. 

Due legal action has been taken, and chargesheet would be filed before the competent court soon. Any allegation of undue influence or interference in the matter is factually incorrect and baseless. 

The matter has been dealt with strictly in accordance with law and procedures, police said.