ACP Vivek Bhagat Promoted Temporarily Days After Jantar Mantar Assault Allegation
Delhi Police Assistant Commissioner of Police Vivek Bhagat has been granted a temporary promotion to the rank of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, two days after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her during a demonstration at Jantar Mantar. The promotion was issued on Monday as part of an official order naming 12 officers from the Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Service (DANIPS).
The 11 other DANIPS officers included in the order are Dr Vikas Sheokand, A Venkatesh, Gursewak Singh, Renu Lata, Vidushi Kaushik, Manu Himanshu, Sakaria Mihir Pravinbhai, Garima Tiwari, Ashish Kumar, Manish Ladla, and Rohit Gupta. Under the order, the 12 officers have been assigned current duty charge of routine Additional DCP duties on a temporary basis.
The official order specifies that the officers are not authorised to exercise the statutory powers of an Additional DCP, nor will they receive extra pay or allowances associated with the rank. The temporary arrangement does not confer seniority, affect their inter-se seniority, or alter their date of regular promotion. The duties will continue only until the Ministry of Home Affairs fills the posts on a regular basis, and the arrangement can be discontinued without assigning any reason.
The allegations against Bhagat stem from an October 3 demonstration at Jantar Mantar, where protesters gathered to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over issues related to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Three women journalists reported that they were sexually harassed by police personnel while reporting on the demonstration.
One of the journalists told news agency PTI that she approached Bhagat after observing that demonstrators were being detained without female police officers present at the location. She alleged that when she questioned him regarding the absence of female personnel, Bhagat sexually assaulted her and shoved her backwards. The journalist further stated that she and other women visited a police station seeking the registration of a First Information Report, but no immediate action was taken.
On Sunday, the New Delhi district police confirmed that complaints submitted by the three journalists had been formally transferred to the Crime Branch for investigation.
Delhi Police rejected the allegations made by the journalists, describing them as baseless and misleading. In an official statement, the police maintained that female protesters were handled exclusively by female staff and treated with dignity and due regard. The department added that all detentions and releases were conducted in accordance with prescribed legal procedures and that male detainees were released within the stipulated timeframe.
