Promotion of Delhi Police ACP Vivek Bhagat halted amid sexual harassment allegations
Three women journalists accused Delhi Police officials of sexual harassment during a protest at Jantar Mantar.
The Delhi government has decided to temporarily halt the assignment of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vivek Bhagat to the position of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Additional DCP). Bhagat is accused of sexually harassing a female journalist during a protest at Jantar Mantar on October 3. He will not be given the new responsibility of Additional DCP until the investigation into the allegations is completed.
In fact, three female journalists alleged sexual harassment against Delhi police officials during the protest at Jantar Mantar last Saturday. The police stated that they have received complaints regarding this matter, which have been forwarded to the Crime Branch for further investigation, and the Crime Branch is now investigating the case.
Vivek Bhagat was among the 12 DANIPS officers to whom the current responsibilities of Additional DCP were assigned on Monday. According to the Delhi government, Bhagat himself requested that he not be given this responsibility until a complete investigation into the alleged harassment of female journalists is conducted and satisfactory conclusions are reached.
The government stated that,
ACP Bhagat has made this request voluntarily. Following this, a decision was made to halt the order for assigning him responsibilities.
According to the government, the order issued on October 5 will be amended, and a revised order for the remaining 11 officers will be reissued. Thus, Bhagat has been temporarily excluded from this arrangement. The Delhi government has also clarified the timeline for the process of assigning new responsibilities. The government stated that the proposal to assign additional responsibilities to all 12 officers was initiated on August 25. According to the statement, this process began well before the recent events, and the order was issued on October 5 after obtaining the necessary approvals.
Earlier on Monday, Lieutenant Governor Tarunjeet Singh Sandhu approved the immediate assignment of the current responsibilities of Additional DCP to 12 DANIPS officers working in the Delhi police. Vivek Bhagat was also included in this list. He is currently posted as the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Connaught Place. The government clarified that this arrangement for assigning the Additional DCP position is temporary. The concerned officers will not receive any financial benefits from this arrangement. The statement also mentioned that the officers currently holding these responsibilities cannot exercise the legal rights and obligations of the regularly appointed officer for that position.
Vivek Bhagat is among the Delhi police officials accused of sexually harassing female journalists during the protest on October 3. This protest was held against irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission and the special intensive review of voter lists (SIR). Female journalists have lodged complaints regarding the behavior of police officials during the protest.
Three female journalists have accused Delhi police officials of sexual harassment. The Delhi police have received their complaints, which have been forwarded to the Crime Branch for further investigation. Currently, these allegations are under investigation. The police have also publicly stated that the complaints have been assigned to the Crime Branch for investigation.
Following the allegations, several independent journalists also protested. They gathered outside the Parliament Street police station demanding the registration of an FIR against the concerned police officials. The protesting journalists demanded that action be taken on the complaints of female journalists and that a case be registered regarding the allegations.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has also sought a response from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on this issue. In an ex-post, he stated that Amit Shah should respond.
He wrote that,
A female journalist has accused a police officer of misconduct at Jantar Mantar. Hundreds of journalists have been sitting for hours with the simple demand that an FIR be registered. Isn’t that the basic job of the police? They haven’t even done that.
Rahul Gandhi stated that,
There are allegations of misconduct against female protesters. Cameras were snatched, journalists were dragged. And this is not the first time - we have seen with video evidence before that police officers behave disgracefully towards women.
Rahul Gandhi further wrote,
Women and students across Delhi are anxious about their safety, protesting - but the police, which is responsible for protecting women, is the one raising hands against them. And a government that is afraid to register a complaint from a woman - who are they actually protecting? The Delhi police is under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Amit Shah ji, where are you? You need to answer.