Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vivek Bhagat, facing sexual harassment allegations from a woman journalist during a protest in Delhi earlier this month, has accused her of making casteist remarks against him and humiliating him in public.
Delhi Police on Wednesday registered an FIR against the independent journalist and others at Parliament Street police station under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) related to obstructing a public servant and defamation, news agency PTI reported.
According to the FIR, Bhagat was on official duty near Jantar Mantar on October 3 when he allegedly heard the journalist making derogatory remarks about his Megh/Mehgwal caste and questioning his appointment as an ACP.
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Bhagat alleged that he ignored the remarks and continued with his official duties. At around 3 pm, the journalist accused him of sexual harassment while police personnel were handling and detaining protesters. The complaint claims that she and her colleagues repeatedly confronted him.
The journalist and others staged a protest outside Parliament Street police station later that evening and raised slogans against the ACP, the FIR alleges.
Bhagat also claimed that the journalist and some members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), including Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das and Ratna Singh, shared posts and videos containing similar allegations on X and Instagram. He said the alleged remarks and online posts caused him mental distress and damaged his reputation.
No FIR against ACP after journalist's sexual assault allegation
The case follows a complaint filed by the journalist accusing Bhagat of sexual assault during the October 3 protest against chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar near Jantar Mantar.
In her complaint, she alleged that she was recording the police detention of an All India Students' Association (AISA) activist when Bhagat touched her inappropriately and pushed her after she questioned the absence of women police personnel at the spot, HT reported earlier.
Two other women journalists also accused police personnel of sexual harassment during the protest. Delhi Police forwarded all three complaints to the Crime Branch for an impartial enquiry.
On October 6, amid growing demands for an FIR against ACP Bhagat, Delhi Police arrested a man from Palwal in Haryana for allegedly sharing a fabricated video that falsely showed the officer misbehaving with the woman journalist, HT reported at the time.
Additional DCP (New Delhi) Manjeet Sheoran said the accused used AI tools to create fake CCTV footage showing Bhagat misbehaving with the journalist.
Delhi Police has not yet registered an FIR against Bhagat over the journalist’s sexual assault allegations.
ACP's promotion order put on hold
Earlier this month, the Delhi government's Home Department issued an order promoting 12 Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS) officers to the rank on a temporary basis. Bhagat, a 2018-batch officer, was among those promoted.
The government later said it would modify the order concerning Bhagat after he requested that he not take up the new post until a full enquiry into the matter was completed, HT reported at the time.
A senior police officer said the request for promotion had been made well before the protest and the subsequent complaints.
Journalists, Opposition leaders criticise police response
The allegations against Bhagat led journalists and social media influencers to protest outside Parliament Street police station, demanding action on the women's complaints.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also criticised the police response and questioned the delay in registering FIRs over the alleged harassment.
The Press Club of India said they were in “shock and dismay” over the alleged treatment of journalists covering the protest. It asked Delhi Police to act on the complaints and ensure that journalists could work without fear or intimidation.
Detention of journalists during October 10 Delhi protests
Several journalists were allegedly pushed, dragged and detained by Delhi Police while covering protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar on October 10. Some reporters claimed that officers took away their phones despite their press credentials. Hindustan journalist Ashish Singh was also among the detained.
The police action took place as authorities stepped up security across the capital to stop a planned protest at Jantar Mantar organised by the CJP and other student groups. The protesters demanded Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Journalists covering the demonstrations were detained at different locations, including Connaught Place and areas near ITO, HT reported earlier. Some reporters said they identified themselves as journalists and showed their press cards, but police personnel still took them away.
Human Rights Watch said that police had beaten and forcibly dragged protesters during the crackdown and detained thousands of people. The organisation also raised concerns about restrictions on movement, internet suspensions and the detention of journalists covering the demonstrations.