Sometimes your name ends up in a story you had no part in, and there’s not much you can do except say so, loudly and on the record. That’s roughly where Chirag Paswan found himself this week.

The Union Minister and head of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has gone to the Parliament Street police station in Delhi asking for a case to be registered against Swatantra Bhardwaj, an influencer known for Hindutva-leaning content online. Paswan’s complaint says Bhardwaj invoked his name — falsely, according to Paswan — to imply he had political cover after a violent incident at Jantar Mantar back in July.

How This Started

Back in July, a protest led by the Cockroach Janata Party at Jantar Mantar turned ugly. Sanjay Kumar, father of a student activist, was assaulted during the demonstration. That was the story then.

It came back into the news recently when an old clip of Bhardwaj started making the rounds online. In it, he talks about the assault in a way that sounds almost proud — describing the injury and claiming his connections kept him out of jail. He names a few political figures in the process, including BJP’s Kapil Mishra and Paswan himself, calling them people who had his back.

Paswan’s camp wasn’t having it.

What the LJP Complaint Actually Says

Filed on September 4 by Sushil Kumar, the party’s national legal cell chief, the complaint asks for two things: an FIR against Bhardwaj, and a police statement clarifying that Paswan and the LJP have no connection to him at all.

It’s fairly blunt in places — there is no relationship between Paswan, the party, and Bhardwaj, full stop, and the complaint wants that made public. It also notes, almost as a reminder, that the party had already stood by Nishu Aazad and her father after the assault.

Paswan spoke about it himself on September 4. His point was simple: politicians meet a lot of people, and meeting someone isn’t the same as being their friend. Using a passing interaction to claim personal protection, he said, is just misuse of his name. He confirmed the complaint was filed and asked Delhi Police to look into the matter fairly.

He didn’t leave it there, either. What seemed to bother him more was the substance of what Bhardwaj said — someone admitting, on a podcast of all places, to hurting a person badly enough that it could have killed them. Letting that pass without consequence, Paswan argued, sets a bad precedent. He also repeated that getting justice for Sanjay Kumar’s family is something he and his party still care about.

The Legal Trouble Is Piling Up

While all this political back-and-forth was happening, the actual case against Bhardwaj kept growing.

Delhi Police have added more sections to the original FIR — criminal intimidation under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, provisions from the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and charges tied to attempted murder and grievous injury. That’s on top of whatever the case already covered.

And there’s more. A second, entirely separate FIR has been filed under the POCSO Act, this time after a minor came forward alleging she’d been threatened and harassed online in connection with the case. That FIR brings in stalking and outraging-modesty charges under the BNS, plus a charge under the IT Act over obscene content.

Why It’s Worth Paying Attention To

A few things stand out here, beyond just the politics of it.

One is how quickly a viral clip can force a Union Minister to publicly defend himself, even when he’s not directly involved. Another is what it says about people bragging online — a boast meant to sound tough on a podcast can end up as evidence in an FIR. And the way the charges have expanded, from an assault case to something involving SC/ST Act provisions and a POCSO complaint, shows how fast these things can escalate once police start digging.

What Comes Next

Right now, there are multiple FIRs against Bhardwaj, a fresh complaint from a sitting minister, and a lot of attention on how Delhi Police handle it from here. For Paswan and the LJP, the goal seems fairly clear — get their name out of a controversy that isn’t theirs, and keep backing the family that’s actually seeking justice.

This one’s still unfolding, so expect more updates as it moves through the system.

This piece is based on publicly available reports and is meant for general reading, not legal reference.