The promotion of Assistant Commissioner of Police (Connaught Place) Vivek Bhagat to Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police was put on hold late Monday night on his request. ACP Bhagat requested a full enquiry into the alleged sexual assault of a female journalist first.
In a late-night post on X, the Delhi government said that Bhagat had requested that he didn't want to take up the new charge until "a full enquiry has been conducted in the matter."
The government added that the order is being modified with regard to Bhagat, while it will apply to the remaining officers.
Earlier in the evening, the home department, on the orders of the Delhi LG, had stated that 12 DANIPS officials were promoted to the additional DCP rank "with immediate effect, in the interest of Government work". Bhagat was included in the list.
He is a 2018 batch DANIPS officer, being given charge as a sub-divisional police officer in the New Delhi district. The development created a stir with concerns being raised over the timing of the decision as the sexual harassment complaint was already filed against Bhagat.
A senior police officer quoted by Hindustan Times said that the promotion request was sent before the protests and was only approved in the latest development. "The request for this was sent way back. This was before the protests and the case."
What's the row?
Bhagat was named in a police complaint filed by a female journalist alleging sexual harassment during her coverage of a protest near Jantar Mantar on Saturday.
In her complaint, the female journalist has alleged that while she was taking videos of the detention of an AIDA activist during the protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Bhagat touched her inappropriately and pushed her.
She filed a complaint with the Parliament Street Police Station. No FIR has been registered in the case yet. She was among three journalists who made similar accusations.
The police on Sunday said that the case was transferred to the crime branch for an "impartial enquiry."