Three journalists who accused Delhi Police ACP Vivek Bhagat of alleged sexual harassment and manhandling during a protest now face a separate FIR, including charges under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, according to Delhi Police. The case was registered on Bhagat’s complaint and names the three journalists as accused.
Police officers said Bhagat was deployed at the Buta Singh roundabout in Delhi’s New Delhi district during an October 3 protest demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. According to his complaint, one of the journalists pointed to his nameplate, identified his caste and made caste-based derogatory remarks about him and his appointment as ACP. Bhagat has stated in the complaint that he belongs to a Scheduled Caste community.
The FIR includes provisions of the SC/ST Act, along with sections relating to obstruction of justice and criminal defamation, the report said. The charges relate to the complaint made by Bhagat and are separate from the allegations raised by the journalists regarding the police action at the protest site.
One of the journalists had alleged that Bhagat touched her inappropriately while she was covering the police action. The three women had also alleged that they were manhandled by Delhi Police personnel during detention. Their complaints were recorded, they underwent medical examinations and the cases were transferred to the Crime Branch for further inquiry.
The police have said that the allegations against Bhagat are still being examined and that no conclusion has been reached. Statements from the women were recorded, and investigators are expected to examine CCTV footage from the protest location. Deputy Commissioner of Police Neha Yadav had earlier appealed for members of the public to share video footage related to the incident with the Crime Branch.
The police have maintained that officers acted after protesters refused to leave the area despite being directed to do so. Yadav had said protesters were informed about the implementation of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita in the New Delhi area. The provision, as described by the police, restricts public gatherings of five or more people, demonstrations and other activities without prior written permission.
The case has added a second legal track to an incident that already involved questions about the treatment of journalists covering a protest and the use of restrictions on public assembly in central Delhi. The latest FIR means that the journalists’ complaints against the police officer and the officer’s complaint against the journalists will now be examined through separate investigative processes.
The Delhi government had earlier withheld a temporary posting given to Bhagat. The government said he had requested not to be given charge as Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police until the allegations against him were fully investigated. The Crime Branch inquiry and examination of the available CCTV footage are the next stated steps in the proceedings.
