The Delhi government has withheld the duty charge of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vivek Bhagat, who is facing allegations of sexual harassment by a journalist. The decision comes as an enquiry into the matter is pending, and additional duties have been reassigned.
The Delhi government announced on Monday that it had withheld the decision to give ACP Vivek Bhagat the duty charge of additional deputy commissioner while an inquiry into sexual harassment allegations against him is ongoing. According to a report by The Hindu, an unidentified police official stated that registering cases against police personnel for actions taken during law and order duties could deter them from working. Another unidentified police official added that there was no evidence to substantiate the journalist's allegation. The Delhi government stated that the decision to give Bhagat additional responsibilities was initiated on August 25, 'much before the present set of events'. However, due to the ongoing inquiry, Bhagat was not among the 12 officers assigned the current duty charge of additional deputy commissioner of police on Monday. The government clarified that Bhagat had requested not to take up the additional duty 'of his own volition, till a full enquiry has been conducted in the matter of alleged harassment of women journalists and such enquiry has been satisfactorily concluded'.
The journalist who accused Bhagat of sexual harassment was among the three women journalists who alleged that they were sexually harassed by police officers while covering the protests at Jantar Mantar. On Sunday, the Delhi Police said that the allegations of sexual harassment had been received 'in context of the emergent law and order situation' a day earlier. The New Delhi district police has transferred the complaints to the Crime Branch at Kamla Market for a 'fair and impartial enquiry' against the police officers. It was unclear whether the Delhi Police was referring to the allegations against Bhagat or to separate complaints of sexual assault.
Separately, the police arrested a person for allegedly creating and circulating an artificial intelligence-generated poster depicting Bhagat sexually assaulting a woman, according to ANI. The police also claimed on Monday that allegations of women protesters being physically assaulted are 'baseless and misleading'. They stated that female protesters are handled by female staff and treated with dignity and due regard. Detentions and releases are carried out in accordance with the applicable law and prescribed procedures.
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