Delhi Police have registered an FIR against a woman journalist and two others following a complaint by ACP Vivek Bhagat, who alleged that he was subjected to caste-based remarks, public humiliation and defamation during a protest in central Delhi on October 3. The case adds a new legal development to a dispute in which the journalist had earlier accused the officer of sexual harassment.
The FIR was registered at Parliament Street police station after Bhagat, posted in the Connaught Place subdivision of New Delhi district, complained about an incident near Boota Singh roundabout during a protest at Jantar Mantar against the Chief Election Commissioner. According to the complaint, the ACP was deployed to maintain law and order during the demonstration.
Bhagat alleged that he heard a journalist making derogatory remarks about his Megh or Meghwal caste and questioning his appointment as an assistant commissioner of police. The complaint states that his operator, Constable Ravi Dahiya, also heard the remarks and references to the officer’s nameplate and caste identity.
The police have named Rosie, Gajendra and an unidentified person as accused in the case. The FIR invokes Sections 3(1)(p), 3(1)(q), 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. It also cites provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to obstruction of a public servant in the discharge of official duties, defamation and common intention.
According to the complaint, Bhagat initially ignored the alleged remarks and continued carrying out his duties. It further states that at around 3 pm, while police were managing and detaining protesters, the journalist accused him of sexual harassment and repeatedly confronted him along with colleagues. Bhagat alleged that these actions obstructed his official work.
The officer also claimed that the caste-related remarks, public allegations and social media posts harmed his reputation and caused him mental stress. The FIR records that the journalist’s separate complaint accusing Bhagat of sexual harassment had been transferred to the Delhi Police Crime Branch, where the investigation is continuing.
The registration of the new case does not establish the allegations made by either side. The FIR sets out the claims made in the officer’s complaint, while the separate sexual-harassment allegation remains under investigation. The latest police action places both complaints within parallel legal and investigative processes involving the same protest-related episode.
The FIR has been registered under the cited provisions, while the Crime Branch inquiry into the journalist’s complaint remains pending.
