India, Sept. 4 -- Self-styled influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj was detained in Uttar Pradesh on Friday in connection with the alleged assault on the father of student activist Nishu Aazad during a protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, police said, adding that he tried to escape but was caught later.

Bhardwaj was detained in Bulandshahr. Police said he had tried to escape but was caught, HT has learnt. Follow live updates related to CJP's protest over Bhardwaj here.

The move came amid mounting pressure on Delhi Police following a viral video of an interview in which Bhardwaj appeared to claim that he had "cracked the skull" of Nishu's father, Sanjay Kumar, during the July 20 protest.

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) had staged a protest outside...