- ACP Vivek Bhagat promoted to Additional DCP rank.
- Promotion follows sexual harassment allegations by journalists.
- Opposition leaders criticize police inaction and misconduct.
Delhi Police ACP (Connaught Place) Vivek Bhagat, accused of sexually harassing a female journalist during an anti-CEC protest at Jantar Mantar, was promoted to the rank of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) on Monday.
Delhi: The Delhi Lieutenant Governor has assigned the current duty charge of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police to 12 Selection Grade DANIPS officers posted in Delhi Police, with immediate effect. Vivek Bhagat, a 2018-batch officer currently posted as SDPO, Connaught Place, New Delhi District, is among the officers assigned the charge.
— IANS (@ians_india) October 5, 2026
Speaking to Hindustan Times, senior police officers stated that it was a routine order and the request was submitted a long time ago. Along with Bhagat, eleven officers have also been promoted.
However, the move has drawn sharp criticism, with Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke questioning whether the officer was being "rewarded for molestation".
Rewarded for molestation?
— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) October 5, 2026
The controversy comes amid mounting public outrage after three women journalists accused senior Delhi Police officers of sexual harassment during Saturday's protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Journalist Details Alleged Assault
Detailing the incident, one of the women journalists alleged that she was assaulted while questioning the absence of female police officers during a detention drive.
"Police personnel were detaining protesters, and there were no women police personnel present at the spot," news agency PTI quoted the journalist as saying.
"I asked ACP Vivek Bhagat of the Delhi Police about the absence of women police personnel, following which he sexually assaulted me and pushed me back," she added.
Following the incident on Saturday evening, several independent journalists and social media influencers staged a protest outside the Parliament Street police station, demanding registration of First Information Reports (FIRs) against the accused officers.
In a post on X, the Delhi Police said, "On October 3, during the protest in the New Delhi area, while being in law and order situation, allegations of sexual harassment were made by three female journalists against police officers. The New Delhi district has received their complaints, and the same have been transferred to the crime branch for fair and impartial enquiry."
Opposition Leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Slam Police Inaction
The incident drew sharp political backlash, with Opposition leaders criticising the police for not fulfilling their duties.
"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," Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi posted on X.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi also condemned the inaction, saying, "During reporting at Jantar Mantar, women journalists have accused police personnel of sexual harassment. Despite protests by dozens of journalists, no FIR was filed, nor was any concrete action taken... The very police whose job it is to provide security are making women feel threatened. From college students to journalists—women are facing insecurity everywhere."
(With Inputs From PTI)