The Delhi Police on Saturday said they arrested 21-year-old right-wing content creator Swatantra Bhardwaj, accused of severely injuring 38-year-old Sanjay Azad during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi in June over alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). The Patiala House court sent Bhardwaj to one day of police custody on Saturday.Swatantra Bhardwaj, 21, and others are accused of assaulting Sanjay Azad, 38, who had gone to the protest with his daughter on June 23. (Instagram/ bhardwaj_swatantra_official)On June 23, Bhardwaj was booked for “voluntarily causing hurt” and wrongful restraint after Azad alleged that Bhardwaj and his aides attacked him, leaving him with more than seven stitches on his head.The June 23 first information report (FIR) said Sanjay had accompanied his daughter to the protest when Bhardwaj and two to three others questioned him, asking, “Why are you making a video?”, after which an argument turned into a fight. Sanjay alleged that the men assaulted him.On Wednesday, Bhardwaj appeared on a podcast where he claimed that he had “cracked the skull of Nishu’s (Azad’s daughter) father”. He also claimed that he did not go to jail and was let off because BJP leaders Kapil Mishra and Chirag Paswan were like his “elder brothers”.The podcast, uploaded on a YouTube channel, went viral, following which Azad’s 14-year-old daughter Nishu put out posts seeking help. The BHIM Army, CJP and the Indian Youth Congress staged a protest on Friday morning at the Parliament Street police station.A senior police officer confirmed to HT that the FIR has now been amended, with sections of the SC/ST Act and criminal intimidation added to the case.“In addition, a case under the POCSO Act has been lodged as the minor showed posts and messages from Bhardwaj and his associates who sent her rape threats,” said the officer.FIR was amended and Azad said the Delhi Police assured them that action would be taken against Bhardwaj within 72 hours.On Friday, around 3pm, Bhardwaj, who had been giving interviews to the media from Bulandshahr earlier in the day, was picked up by a team of Delhi Police.Police said he was taken to Delhi and arrested in the early hours of Saturday. He has been interrogated.“We will also add charges of attempted murder after a fresh medical examination is done of Azad. If the documents prove that a sharp weapon was used to hit him, we will add those charges to the FIR,” said another officer.Meanwhile, Bhardwaj’s friend, who refused to be named, told HT, “This is no way how police should work. You can’t be pressured and arrest anyone. He only said those things as sarcasm. We are staging a protest at the same police station. How can someone pick up a 21-year-old from Bulandshahr? Till night, his parents were running around and trying to figure out what happened. Also, Azad himself has said in a few social media videos that he would have also attacked Bhardwaj.”Police said they had taken cognisance of a social media video posted on Instagram in July in which Azad is heard saying, “Some people feel that he (Bhardwaj) unintentionally hit me and achieved something great with this... Had police not come in two minutes, we would have shown you what all could have happened...”Azad, however, told HT that his video was misrepresented. He said, “At that time, I suffered seven stitches on my head but the police did not even give me MLC. They refused to help me. A person rushed me to the hospital. My daughter, who has been fighting for me, was threatened by Bhardwaj and his men. They sent her rape threats and made videos of her. We just want an FIR. They have tried to kill me, spoken about our caste and threatened my minor daughter.”Union minister Chirag Paswan later distanced himself from Bhardwaj and asked for action against him. “I’ve also filed a complaint with Delhi Police that he is misusing my name...”The FIR also recorded details from the MLC: “lacerated wound over right frontal region, lacerated wound over left parietal region...pending observation over nature of injury.”Meanwhile, Bhardwaj’s friends also staged a protest around 11am outside the Parliament Street police station, where heavy security arrangements were made and paramilitary forces were deployed.The entry to the station was blocked.Bhardwaj was detained briefly on the day of the incident but was released a few hours later. He later claimed on social media that he was friends with senior politicians. He named Union minister Chirag Paswan and Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, both from the ruling establishment.