Delhi Police ACP (Connaught Place) Vivek Bhagat, who has been accused of sexually harassing a female journalist during an anti-CEC protest at Jantar Mantar, was promoted to the rank of Additional DCP on Monday.
Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi condemn incident
The Delhi Police said in a post on X that the allegations were made on October 3 during the protest in the New Delhi area.
Senior police officers said the promotion was part of a routine order and that the request for it had been sent a long time ago. It said the complaints received by the New Delhi district had been transferred to the Crime Branch for a “fair and impartial enquiry”. Priyanka Gandhi said that women journalists covering the protest had accused police personnel of sexual harassment. She also said that despite protests by dozens of journalists, no FIR had been filed and no concrete action had been taken. The Press Club of India expressed “shock and dismay” over the treatment of journalists covering the protest and urged Delhi Police to act on the complaint immediately.
Eleven other officers were also promoted along with Bhagat. Three women journalists have accused senior Delhi Police officers of sexual harassment during Saturday’s protest against the Election Commission at Jantar Mantar. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi criticised the incident and accused the police of failing to fulfil their basic duty.
The police said on Sunday that their complaints had been forwarded to the Crime Branch for a detailed investigation. On Saturday evening, several independent journalists and social media influencers staged a protest outside Parliament Street police station, demanding registration of First Information Reports, including an FIR against an ACP.
