New Delhi: Following Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s demand for stricter sections in a case involving injuries allegedly sustained by a supporter during its protest at Jantar Mantar, Delhi Police Friday added provisions of the SC/ST Act to the existing FIR and lodged a Pocso case over alleged threats to his minor daughter.Holding a sit-in protest outside Parliament Street police station from around 10.50am Friday, CJP protesters also sought addition of attempt-to-murder and criminal intimidation sections to the FIR. A senior police officer said a medical opinion was awaited on whether a more stringent attempt-to-murder section could be invoked.The sit-in followed a man’s recent claim on a podcast that because of his political connections, he did not have to spend any time in custody despite injuring a person during the CJP protest. Delhi Police refuted his claims Thursday.The protesters also sought a separate FIR over alleged online threats, including those of rape, against the minor daughter of the injured man, and submitted a list of social media accounts allegedly being used to target her.Around 10.50am, the demonstrators started the protest. On one side of the road, CISF personnel were deployed, while the other side was open for traffic movement.CJP spokesperson Saurav Das, co-convener Ashutosh Ranka and others alleged that the protesters had repeatedly approached police for the additions seeing the gravity of the assault and the demand for invoking SC/ST Act was made citing the minor’s Dalit background. However, Das claimed, police had advised them to move court for appropriate directions. Parliamentarians Pappu Yadav and Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan joined the demonstration.“Police officers have assured us that Bhardwaj will be arrested within 72 hours. They have promised to take action,” said the injured man’s daughter. “For days, his supporters have been abusing me and sending me rape threats. I was ashamed to step out of my house because of the threats and was unable to attend school for weeks,” she added.The protesters submitted Hindi and English transcripts of the podcast video, which, they claimed, is central to the dispute. It should be examined as part of the probe, they demanded. The video, circulated widely on social media, shows Bharadwaj claiming to have political influences and thus getting away despite “cracking (his) head open”.
