Chirag Paswan files complaint against Hindutva influencer for ‘misusing’ his name

Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Friday filed a complaint against a Hindutva influencer for allegedly misusing his name in connection with the assault on the father of a student activist during youth protests at Jantar Mantar, ANI reported.

Paswan accused influencer Swatantra Bharadwaj of “falsely and publicly” citing his name, The Hindu reported.

A row had erupted after Bharadwaj claimed in a podcast that a call from Delhi minister Kapil Mishra helped him avoid arrest over the alleged assault, despite having “cracked the skull” of student activist Nishu Aazad’s father Sanjay Kumar.

In the same video Bharadwaj had said: “Chirag Paswan is my elder brother...I have everyone’s support.”

On Saturday, Bharadwaj was arrested and remanded to one-day police custody, The Indian Express reported.

On Friday, Paswan said that he and his party, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), “stand firmly” with Kumar’s family. “Ensuring justice for them is a responsibility that both I and my party fully accept,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.

He further added: “In public life, many people come to meet us and take pictures. But this does not mean that they know us personally or I know them personally.”

Bharadwaj’s claims

On July 23, Kumar was assaulted at Jantar Mantar during demonstrations against alleged irregularities in competitive examinations.

Recently, a purported video of Bharadwaj that was widely shared online showed him claiming that he was...

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