New Delhi, Sept. 5 -- Leaders from different political parties on Saturday reacted to the detention of Swatantra Bharadwaj in connection with the alleged assault incident during a protest at Jantar Mantar, with TMC MP Saugata Roy backing LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan's decision to distance himself from the matter.

Speaking in Kolkata, Saugata Roy alleged that Bharadwaj was a close associate of the BJP and said that several leaders had participated in protests following the incident.

"He is a close associate of the BJP... Everyone protested yesterday. Azad, the Lok Sabha MP, and Pappu Yadav all went and protested, and that's when he was arrested," Roy told ANI.

He welcomed Chirag Paswan's clarification distancing himself from the ...