Bulandshahr (Uttar Pradesh): Right-wing activist Swatantra Bhardwaj has defended his actions during the June 23 CJP protest at Jantar Mantar, saying his alleged assault on CJP activist Nishu Azad’s father, Sanjay Kumar, was an act of self-defence.

Responding to the controversy over remarks he made during a podcast, Bhardwaj said he had been surrounded by 10-15 people during the protest and feared for his life.

‘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,’ he said.

Bhardwaj denied deliberately targeting Kumar, saying there had been no attempt to attack him.

According to the activist, Kumar was struck on the head during the confrontation after Bhardwaj acted to defend himself.

He also claimed to have video evidence of the incident, which he said would establish his version of events.

The controversy erupted after a clip from a podcast circulated on social media in which Bhardwaj appeared to boast about assaulting Kumar, claiming he had ‘cracked his skull’ and that the victim had received 60 stitches.

He also spoke about avoiding jail following the incident and referred to alleged political connections.

Bhardwaj has now disputed the interpretation of those remarks, calling the clip being circulated by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others ‘fake’.

He also said references to Delhi minister Kapil Mishra and Union minister Chirag Paswan should be understood in the context of what he described as sarcasm.

‘Kapil Mishra and Chirag Paswan are like my brothers,’ Bhardwaj said, responding to claims that political influence had helped him avoid arrest or jail.

He further sought to counter claims about the severity of Kumar’s injuries, saying Delhi Police’s medical report showed that he had not suffered major injuries.

Delhi Police has separately rejected claims that Kumar suffered a skull fracture, saying he sustained a head injury from a kada during a scuffle and that his injuries were classified as simple.

Bhardwaj said he was cooperating with the ongoing police investigation and maintained that the confrontation should be viewed in the context of the circumstances in which it took place.

The remarks come as CJP members have approached Parliament Street police station seeking action over the alleged assault on Kumar and demanding justice for Nishu Azad and her father.