Delhi Government Suspends DCP Charge Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations
Delhi Government Takes Action Against DCP Amid Controversy
Police detain protesters and take them away in a bus in New Delhi on October 3. (Photo:PTI)
New Delhi, Oct 6: The Delhi government has decided to withhold the additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) role assigned to Assistant Commissioner of Police Vivek Bhagat, following allegations of sexual harassment against a female journalist during a protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Bhagat was one of 12 officers from the Delhi Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Service (DANIPS) who were given this additional responsibility on Monday. However, he has requested to defer his appointment until the investigation into the harassment claims is concluded, as stated by the Delhi government on social media.
The government confirmed that the previous order would be amended to allocate the additional duties to the remaining 11 officers.
It was clarified that the proposal to assign these additional duties was initiated on August 25, well before the recent events, and the orders were finalized on October 5 after receiving the necessary approvals.
Furthermore, the Delhi government noted that the additional charge is a temporary measure that does not provide any financial incentives. Officers assigned these duties do not have the authority to perform any statutory functions typically held by the regular appointees.
Bhagat's appointment faced backlash after he was implicated in the allegations of sexual harassment against a female journalist during the protest on October 3, where three women journalists reported similar misconduct by Delhi Police personnel.
The Delhi Police has acknowledged the complaints and has forwarded them to the Crime Branch for further investigation.
In a separate incident, the Delhi Police announced the arrest of a 24-year-old man for allegedly creating and distributing a fake AI-generated poster that depicted a police officer assaulting a woman.
The suspect, identified as Nadeem, was apprehended on Monday and presented in court, where he was remanded to police custody for further questioning. During a press briefing, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Manjeet revealed that Nadeem had claimed to be an independent journalist and had been operating an Instagram account since April, which had amassed around 24,000 followers and featured 1,226 posts.
Investigators are currently looking into whether others were involved in this alleged conspiracy and are working to identify any additional suspects.
This arrest occurs in the context of ongoing discussions surrounding the allegations of sexual harassment during the October 3 protest and the subsequent dissemination of related content on social media.