Union Minister Chirag Paswan has distanced himself from right-wing influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj, filing a police complaint after Bhardwaj allegedly invoked his name while speaking about the Jantar Mantar assault case.
BY PC Bureau
NEW DELHI / PATNA — September 4, 2026: Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan on Friday broke his silence over the controversy surrounding right-wing influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj, distancing himself from him and filing a police complaint after the influencer allegedly invoked Paswan’s name while discussing a violent assault on a podcast.
Speaking to reporters in Patna, Paswan described the episode as “extremely serious” and said allowing someone to publicly boast about a potentially fatal assault without immediate action would set a dangerous precedent.
“This incident is extremely serious. The way a person is openly admitting that he beat someone so severely that it could possibly have led to their death. To openly admit this on a podcast and even after that, if no action is taken against him, then I believe this will set a very wrong example before the country and the people,” Paswan said.
Paswan said Bhardwaj had “misused my name along with the names of several politicians”, adding that he had filed an official complaint and would seek a fair investigation by Delhi Police. He also expressed support for student activist Nishu Azad and her family.
Rejecting any personal association with Bhardwaj, Paswan said meeting people was part of political life and did not mean a politician personally knew everyone who later claimed to be close to them. He said using his name and photographs to suggest political protection was unacceptable.
What triggered the row
The controversy erupted after a clip from a podcast featuring Bhardwaj circulated widely on social media. Bhardwaj, who describes himself as a “Sanatani Yodha” and has a substantial Instagram following, allegedly spoke about attacking Sanjay Kumar, father of CJP protester Nishu Azad, during a demonstration at Jantar Mantar linked to the student agitation over the NEET paper leak.
In the clip, Bhardwaj was heard saying the alleged assault attracted Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code, relating to attempt to murder, that the victim required dozens of stitches and that he himself was not jailed and “was out and about through the night”.
Bhardwaj also named Delhi minister Kapil Mishra as his “elder brother” and claimed a call from Mishra helped him walk free. He similarly referred to Paswan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka subsequently marched to Parliament Street police station along with MPs Chandrashekhar Azad and Pappu Yadav, demanding Bhardwaj’s arrest. Police assured them that action would be taken within 72 hours. Bhardwaj was subsequently detained in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district.
Bhardwaj later disputed the authenticity of the viral clip, describing it as fake or sarcastic, and claimed he had acted in self-defence after being surrounded.
Delhi Police have also challenged the most serious claims about Kumar’s injuries, saying medical records described them as simple injuries.
READ: Self-styled `Goon’ Bhardwaj Detained Over Jantar Mantar Assault Case
Paswan called the alleged assault “extremely serious” and warned that failure to act against someone publicly boasting about violence would set a dangerous example.
Swatantra bhardwaj ke bade bhai ne toh usi ke muh pe m*ot diya😭😭 pic.twitter.com/mWDI1rJAdB
— Jitesh (@Chaotic_mind99) September 4, 2026
Political fallout
The controversy has provided fresh ammunition to Opposition parties, which have alleged that street violence was being shielded by political connections. Congress and RJD leaders questioned Paswan’s earlier silence and his party’s alliance with the BJP.
Paswan’s decision to file a police complaint changes the political optics within the NDA. As a Union minister and one of the alliance’s prominent Dalit faces, his move puts clear distance between him and an influencer who allegedly sought to invoke his name and political connections.
Social-media commentary has also revived an earlier, unrelated episode in which Paswan criticised coarse remarks directed at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, arguing that age and stature deserved respect even across political lines. That episode, however, is separate from Friday’s complaint.
What happens next
Bhardwaj’s detention is only the beginning of the criminal process. Paswan’s complaint concerns the alleged misuse of his name and photograph as well as the public claims of violence. Police will still have to investigate the Jantar Mantar incident, examine medical records and establish whether any political intervention influenced decisions concerning Bhardwaj’s custody.
For the NDA, the episode is politically awkward. An influencer who presented himself as having access to ministers has now prompted one of those ministers to publicly deny any such association and demand a fair investigation.
