Delhi Police reject political interference allegations in Jantar Mantar assault case

Delhi Police rejected allegations of political interference in a June 23 Jantar Mantar assault case, saying the accused were handled according to law. Police said the victim’s injuries were simple and caused by a metal bracelet, while denying claims of serious skull injury

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Thursday rejected allegations of political interference in the handling of a June 23 assault case at Jantar Mantar protest site, saying the two accused were dealt with according to the law. The police response came after a man in a viral video was found claiming that he brutally assaulted the father of a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protester and avoided jail by a call.

In the video, the man claims that the person he allegedly attacked suffered 60 stitches and was on the verge of death, and says a case under Section 307 of the IPC, relating to attempt to murder, should have been registered against him.

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“Swatantra came out of the jail the next day. I didn’t even have to go to jail. I heard the police saying they received a call from Kapil Mishra. He is like my elder brother,” the man can be heard saying in the video. The claims relate to an incident at Jantar Mantar on June 23 during a CJP protest, when Sanjay Kumar, 38, a resident of Ghaziabad, sustained a head injury during a scuffle, according to the police.

New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma said Kumar was injured by the kada (metal bracelet) worn by one of the alleged participants in the scuffle.

“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 assailants during a scuffle,” Sharma said.

He said Kumar was medically examined at 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 a crack in the skull is not supported by facts/MLC and is completely baseless,” the DCP said.

According to the police, a case under relevant provisions of the BNS was registered at Parliament Street police station on Kumar’s statement.

The two men named during the investigation, Suraj Kumar, 24, and Swatantra Bhardwaj, 21, were detained from the spot and later served notices according to the law and interrogated, police said, adding that a chargesheet would also be filed before the competent court.

Rejecting the allegation of political influence in the case, the DCP clarified that there was no interference in the investigation. “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,” Sharma said.