Delhi govt withholds additional DCP charge for ACP amid harassment allegations
Women journalists have accused Delhi Police personnel of sexual harassment; their complaints have been forwarded to Crime Branch for inquiry
Delhi govt withholds additional DCP charge for ACP Vivek Bhagat, who faces sexual harassment allegations linked to an 3 October protest
Bhagat voluntarily declined the charge pending an inquiry; the CDC will instead be assigned to the remaining 11 DANIPS officers
Three women journalists have accused Delhi Police personnel of sexual harassment; their complaints have been forwarded to the Crime Branch for inquiry
The Delhi government has withheld the current duty charge (CDC) of additional deputy commissioner of police (DCP) assigned to assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Vivek Bhagat, who has been accused of sexually harassing a woman journalist during a protest against chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Bhagat was among 12 DANIPS officers assigned the additional charge of DCP on Monday. However, according to the Delhi government, he requested “of his own volition” that he not take up the charge until an inquiry into the allegations of harassment of women journalists is completed and “satisfactorily concluded”.
The government said the earlier order would be modified and reissued, with the CDC to be assigned to the remaining 11 officers.
Clarifying the timeline, the Delhi government said the proposal to assign additional duty charges to the 12 officers was initiated on 25 August, well before the events surrounding the protest. The orders were issued on 5 October after receiving the required approvals.
The government also said that the CDC is a temporary administrative arrangement and does not carry any additional financial benefit. Officers holding the additional charge cannot exercise statutory powers or duties vested in the regular incumbents, it added.
Bhagat’s appointment had drawn criticism after he was named among Delhi Police personnel accused of sexually harassing a woman journalist during the 3 October protest at Jantar Mantar.
Three women journalists have accused Delhi Police personnel of sexual harassment in connection with the protest, which was organised by INDIA bloc parties over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Delhi Police has received the complaints and forwarded them to the Crime Branch for further inquiry. The allegations remain under investigation.
With PTI inputs