Delhi Police ACP Vivek Bhagat, whom a woman journalist has accused of sexual assault during a protest at Jantar Mantar on October 3, was included in an order on Monday assigning the current duty charge of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Additional DCP) to 12 DANIPS officers. However, the Delhi Government later modified the order for Bhagat after he requested not to avail the additional charge until a full inquiry into the allegations of harassment of women journalists is completed.
The Delhi Government, through its official X account, clarified that it initiated the proposal to confer additional duty charge on the officers on August 25, well before the current set of events. The government said it issued the orders after due approval on October 5.
The government also clarified that the assignment of current duty charge is a temporary arrangement, carries no financial benefit and does not allow the officers to exercise the statutory duties of regular incumbents. Accordingly, the October 5 order is being modified for Bhagat and will be reissued for the remaining 11 officers.
On Tuesday, the police arrested an Instagram user for allegedly circulating a “fabricated video falsely portraying” the officer “misbehaving” with the complainant. The accused was identified as Nadeem Ahmed, a resident of Haryana’s Palwal.
According to Additional DCP (New Delhi) Manjeet Sheoran, the accused “used AI tools to generate CCTV footage where ACP (Connaught Place) Vivek Bhagat can be seen misbehaving with the complainant.
Complaints by 3 women journalists
One journalist has accused Bhagat of sexually assaulting and pushing her while she was covering the detention of All India Students’ Association (AISA) President Neha Bora. Two other women journalists have also complained of alleged sexual harassment by police personnel during the same protest.
The allegations have not been independently established. Delhi Police has transferred the complaints to the Crime Branch for what it says is a fair and impartial inquiry.
The issue came to light on October 3, during protests at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The journalist was covering the detention of the AISA President. She questioned why women police personnel were not present during Bora’s detention. According to her complaint, ACP Vivek Bhagat then touched her inappropriately and pushed her.
She sought action against the officer and went to the Parliament Street police station to register her complaint.
According to protesters, the police did not register an FIR. They said officers took the complaint and sought time to examine CCTV footage from the area.
The complainant and her supporters remained outside the police station, demanding that the CCTV footage be preserved and examined and that an FIR be registered.
Centre of the protest
By October 4, Parliament Street police station had become the main site of the protest.
Journalists and activists gathered outside the station and demanded action on complaints filed by three women journalists. They also pressed for the preservation and examination of CCTV footage.
Delhi Police said the three women submitted complaints at around 6 PM on October 3, alleging manhandling and sexual harassment by police officers and staff during the detention of protesters. The police said they conducted medical examinations of all three complainants and later transferred their complaints to the Crime Branch.
The Crime Branch is expected to examine the complaints, record statements and look at available video evidence. Delhi Police has also appealed to anyone having relevant footage to submit it to the investigating team.
Patriot reached out to the SHO of the Parliament Street police station for a response, who said the matter had been transferred to the Crime Branch, without elaborating any further. The Crime Branch has also not publicly given a detailed account of the investigation so far.
The protesters disputed the way the complaints were being handled and continued their demonstration outside the station.
Night outside the station
The protest continued through the night, with journalists and activists staying outside Parliament Street police station.
Their demands remained focused on action on the complaints, filing an FIR, preserving CCTV footage and investigating the allegations.
On October 5, the situation escalated when 17 people, including journalists, activists and the woman complainant, were detained in the morning around 7:30 from the Parliament Street police station.
The police said the detentions followed warnings to disperse in view of restrictions imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). According to the police, protesters refused to leave despite the warnings.
Later that night, a city court ordered their release and directed the DCP, New Delhi, to submit a report regarding allegations of custodial assault raised by two of the detainees and ordered that CCTV footage from Parliament Street Police Station be preserved.
‘Allegations not true’
Delhi Police has rejected social media claims that its personnel physically assaulted women protesters during the detentions.
The police described the allegations as “baseless and misleading” and said women protesters were handled by women personnel and treated with dignity.
Meanwhile, separate FIRs have been registered in connection with incidents during the protests.
Reports have cited four FIRs involving allegations including damage to public property, obstruction of public servants and violence. Case number 108/2026 has also been cited in connection with the proceedings.
These cases are separate from the complaint against Bhagat and should be investigated independently.
