The allegations emerge weeks after Shaheen and Nafisa Khan accused police of assault
NEW DELHI — Three women journalists have accused Delhi Police personnel of sexual harassment and alleged physical misconduct while they were covering a protest at Jantar Mantar on October 3, adding to scrutiny of the force following separate allegations by journalists Shaheen Khan and Nafisa Khan at Saket police station last month.
The three journalists were covering a demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over opposition allegations concerning the electoral process and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Delhi Police said the complaints had been referred to the Crime Branch for investigation.
One of the journalists alleged that ACP Vivek Bhagat pushed her and touched her inappropriately when she questioned police about the absence of women personnel during the detention of protesters. Another journalist alleged that a police officer pressed against her from behind while she was recording the detention of protesters.
The allegations have drawn renewed attention to the safety of women journalists covering protests. The Delhi Union of Journalists and Kerala Union of Working Journalists’ Delhi unit have condemned the alleged incidents and demanded action.
The latest controversy comes weeks after Shaheen and Nafisa alleged that they were assaulted and mistreated inside Saket police station on September 3 while covering a public event. They have alleged that the treatment worsened after police personnel learnt that they were Muslim.
The two journalists subsequently met Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and recounted their allegations. According to their account, they asked him to seek answers over who was responsible for the alleged assault and whether religious identity had played a role in their treatment.
Gandhi’s meeting with the journalists has brought additional political attention to the allegations. He has also demanded that CCTV footage from Saket police station be made public.
Questions Over ACP’s Additional Charge
The Jantar Mantar allegations also led to questions over the timing of an administrative order involving ACP Vivek Bhagat.
On October 5, the Delhi government assigned the current duty charge of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police to 12 Selection Grade DANIPS officers, including Bhagat. The arrangement was temporary and did not amount to a regular promotion, according to the government order. It carried no additional financial benefits or statutory powers associated with a regular Additional DCP post.
Bhagat, who is posted as SDPO, Connaught Place, subsequently requested that he not take up the additional responsibility until the investigation into the allegations involving women journalists was completed.
Following his request, the Delhi government said the October 5 order would be modified and reissued for the remaining 11 officers. The government also clarified that the proposal for assigning the additional charge had originated on August 25, before the October 3 allegations, and received final approval on October 5.
Delhi Police have rejected allegations of assault against women protesters as “baseless and misleading” and said women protesters were treated with dignity. The force has also issued guidelines for journalists covering protests.
The Crime Branch investigation into the complaints by the three women journalists is now underway. Its findings will determine whether the allegations against the police personnel, including those against Bhagat, are substantiated.
For the journalists who have raised the complaints, however, the central questions remain whether they were subjected to inappropriate physical treatment while carrying out their professional duties, whether the conduct of individual officers breached the law or police rules, and what action will follow from the investigation.
