Delhi Police ACP Vivek Bhagat Promoted to Additional DCP Amid Harassment Allegations by Journalists
Delhi Police ACP Vivek Bhagat, accused of s*xually harassing a female journalist during a protest at Jantar Mantar, was promoted to Additional DCP, sparking outrage. The promotion comes on the heels of mounting controversy following a demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, where three women journalists accused senior Delhi Police officers of s*xual harassment.
Delhi Police Assistant Commissioner of Police (Connaught Place) Vivek Bhagat, who has been accused of s*xual harassment by a female journalist during an anti-CEC protest, was promoted to the rank of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police on Monday, October 4. Senior police officers clarified that the promotion was part of a routine order and that the formal request had been processed long in advance. Bhagat was promoted alongside eleven other officers.
Allegations and Crime Branch Probe
The promotion comes on the heels of mounting controversy following a demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, where three women journalists accused senior Delhi Police officers of s*xual harassment. ‘You Need To Create Fear’: Supreme Court to Delhi Police on Rape Cases.
Delhi Police ACP Vivek Bhagat Promoted to Additional DCP Amid S*xual Harassment Allegations
#JustIn
ACP (Connaught Place) Vivek Bhagat, who has been accused of sexually harassing a female journalist during anti-CEC protest, has been promoted to Additional DCP rank on Monday. Senior police officers said it's a routine order and the request was sent way back...
— Jignasa Sinha (@jignasa_sinha) October 5, 2026
Detailing the incident, one of the complainants stated, as reported by PTI: “Police personnel were detaining protesters, and there were no women police personnel present at the spot. I asked ACP Vivek Bhagat of the Delhi Police about the absence of women police personnel, following which he s*xually assaulted me and pushed me back.”
In an official statement on X, the Delhi Police noted: “On October 3, during the protest in New Delhi area, while being in law and order situation, allegations of s*xual harassment were made by three female journalists against police officers. The New Delhi district has received their complaints and the same are transferred to crime branch for fair and impartial enquiry.”
A Female Journalist Has Accused a Police Officer of Misconduct at Jantar Mantar
जंतर-मंतर पर एक महिला पत्रकार ने एक पुलिस अधिकारी पर बदसलूकी का आरोप लगाया है।
घंटों से सैकड़ों पत्रकार सिर्फ़ इतनी माँग लेकर बैठे हैं कि FIR दर्ज कर ली जाए। ये तो पुलिस का बुनियादी काम है न? वो भी नहीं किया।
आज ही जंतर-मंतर पर सैकड़ों लोग हिरासत में लिए गए। महिला प्रदर्शनकारियों के साथ बदसलूकी के आरोप हैं। कैमरे छीने गए, पत्रकार घसीटे गए।
और ये पहली बार नहीं है - इससे पहले भी हमने वीडियो सबूतों के साथ देखा है कि पुलिस के अफसर महिलाओं के साथ घिनौनी बदसलूकी करते हैं।
पूरी दिल्ली की महिलाएं, छात्राएं अपनी सुरक्षा को लेकर घबराहट में हैं, सत्याग्रह कर रही हैं - मगर जिस पुलिस पर महिलाओं की हिफ़ाज़त की ज़िम्मेदारी है, वही महिलाओं पर हाथ उठा रही है।
और एक महिला की शिकायत दर्ज करने से जो सरकार डरती है - वो आख़िर किसकी हिफ़ाज़त कर रही है?
दिल्ली पुलिस गृह मंत्रालय के अधीन है। अमित शाह जी, कहाँ हैं आप? जवाब आपको ही देना है।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 3, 2026
Protests and Political Outcry
Following the incident, independent journalists and social media influencers staged a protest outside the Parliament Street police station on Saturday evening, demanding the immediate registration of First Information Reports (FIRs) against the accused officers. Political critics, including the Cockroach Janta Party, openly questioned the timing of Bhagat’s promotion. Opposition leaders also slammed the authorities over the inaction regarding the complaints. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi posted on X: “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.” Shashi Tharoor Calls Delhi Police Action ‘Utterly Shameful’ Amid Harassment Allegations Against ACP Vivek Bhagat.
Echoing similar concerns, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi stated on X: “During reporting at Jantar Mantar, women journalists have accused police personnel of s*xual harassment. Despite protests by dozens of journalists, no FIR was filed, nor was any concrete action taken. Women engaged in peaceful protests also allege that the police are behaving very indecently with them. The very police whose job it is to provide security is making women feel threatened. From college students to journalists—women are facing insecurity everywhere.”
Press Club Demands Immediate Action
The Press Club of India expressed deep concern over the handling of the situation, voicing "shock and dismay" regarding the treatment of media personnel covering the demonstration. "Behaviour of this kind cannot be normalised in a democracy. Journalists must be allowed to work freely, without fear, and document those who gather to raise various issues. That this is not being allowed even at the heart of the national capital does not bode well for the trajectory of media freedom in India," the organisation said in a statement. "The Delhi Police must immediately act on the female journalist's complaint and ensure that it gives media persons the space to do their jobs without having to face aggression and threats," it added.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 05, 2026 11:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
