2 hrs ago
Journalist Alleges Delhi Police Officer Assaulted Her at Protest
A journalist said a police officer touched and pushed her while she was reporting on a protest in Delhi.
She said she went to a police station to make a complaint.
She said she waited for hours, but an FIR had not been registered.
An FIR is a formal police report about an alleged offence.
Other journalists, protesters and lawyers gathered outside the station to demand action.
Delhi Police said three female journalists had made complaints about sexual harassment by police officers.
Police said the complaints were sent to another police unit for an inquiry.
They did not say whether all the complaints were about the same officer.
The allegations have not been independently verified.
An independent journalist alleged that ACP Vivek Bhagat groped and pushed her while she covered Neha Bora’s detention at Jantar Mantar.
She said she went to Parliament Street police station to file a complaint and waited hours without an FIR being registered.
Journalists, protesters and lawyers gathered outside the station demanding action and a copy of an FIR.
Delhi Police said three female journalists made sexual-harassment complaints against police officers during the protest and that the complaints were sent to the Crime Branch for inquiry.
Rahul Gandhi criticized the delay in registering an FIR; police did not identify the officers named in the complaints or clarify whether all three complaints concerned Bhagat.
- Who
- An independent journalist accused ACP Vivek Bhagat; Delhi Police said three female journalists had made complaints against police officers.
- What
- The journalist alleged that Bhagat groped and pushed her; protesters demanded that police register an FIR.
- Where
- Jantar Mantar and Parliament Street police station, New Delhi.
- When
- The alleged incident took place on Saturday during the protest; Delhi Police announced the complaint transfer on Sunday.
- Why
- The journalist was reporting on the detention of Neha Bora during a protest over electoral-roll revision and a demand for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
Complainant and Critics
Delhi Police
Allegation and response
Complainant and Critics
The journalist alleged that Bhagat groped and pushed her and said she waited at the station without an FIR being registered. Protesters and Rahul Gandhi criticized the delay and demanded action.
Delhi Police
Delhi Police said it received complaints from three female journalists and transferred them to the Crime Branch for a fair and impartial inquiry.
Who the complaints concern
Complainant and Critics
The journalist’s public allegation specifically named Bhagat.
Delhi Police
Police did not identify the officers named in the complaints or clarify whether all three complaints concerned Bhagat or separate incidents.
Key facts
- Accused officer
- Assistant Commissioner of Police Vivek Bhagat
- Journalist’s allegation
- She alleged Bhagat groped and pushed her while she was filming Neha Bora’s detention.
- Police station
- Parliament Street police station
- Complaints cited by police
- Three female journalists made sexual-harassment complaints against police officers.
- Police inquiry
- Delhi Police said the complaints were transferred to the Crime Branch at Kamla Market for a fair and impartial inquiry.
- Protest demand
- Journalists, protesters and lawyers demanded action and a copy of an FIR.
- Verification status
- The allegations against the officer have not been independently verified.
Quotes
The independent journalist
Journalist who alleged she was assaulted while covering the protest
“A female journalist has accused a police officer of misconduct at Jantar Mantar. For hours, hundreds of journalists have been sitting there with just one demand: that an FIR be registered. Isn't that the police's basic duty? They haven't even done that.”
livemint.com
“Women across Delhi, students, are gripped by fear for their safety, staging satyagraha. But the very police responsible for protecting women are raising hands against them.”
scroll.in
Sources
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