Jantar Mantar sexual harassment: ACP’s promotion put on hold

New Delhi: The promotion of Delhi Police ACP (Connaught Place) Vivek Bhagat to the rank of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police has been put on hold, days after a woman journalist accused him of sexually harassing her during a protest near Jantar Mantar.

Bhagat, a 2018-batch DANIPS officer, was among 12 officers promoted to the Additional DCP rank in a routine order issued by the Delhi home department on Monday. He was also assigned charge as a sub-divisional police officer in the New Delhi district. However, the Delhi government later modified the order after Bhagat requested that he not assume the new responsibility until an inquiry into the allegations is completed.

The development came two days after the journalist lodged a complaint at Parliament Street police station. According to her complaint, she was recording the detention of an AISA activist during a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar when Bhagat allegedly behaved inappropriately towards her and pushed her.

The allegations are part of complaints submitted by three women journalists concerning alleged sexual harassment by police personnel during the October 3 protest. Delhi Police has transferred the complaints to the Crime Branch for investigation.

Despite the allegations and the transfer of the complaint for investigation, no FIR has been registered so far in the journalist’s complaint against Bhagat, even two days after it was filed.

Police officials have maintained that the promotion process had been initiated before the protest and the subsequent allegations surfaced. The promotion order also described the appointments as a temporary arrangement pending regular appointments by the Union Home Ministry.