By Maktoob

Delhi Police officer Vivek Bhagat, accused of sexually harassing a woman journalist during the October 3 protest at Jantar Mantar, was promoted to Additional Deputy Commissioner on Monday, along with 11 other officers.

A senior police officer said the promotions were routine and had been proposed well before the allegations surfaced. Bhagat, a 2018-batch DANIPS officer, was serving as an Assistant Commissioner.

The promotion comes as the Crime Branch examines complaints from three women journalists alleging sexual harassment by police officers during the protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Delhi Police said on Sunday that the complaints had been transferred to the Crime Branch for a “fair and impartial inquiry”.

Journalists staged a sit-in outside Parliament Street police station demanding that FIRs be registered against the officers accused of sexual harassment. Police have yet to register an FIR and detained the complainant twice while she was protesting against the Delhi Police crackdown on protesters.

Rights activists and groups have accused Bhagat of inappropriately touching a woman journalist and demanded that an FIR be registered against him and that he be suspended.

The allegations triggered outrage against Delhi Police amid repeated complaints from women journalists and protesters of misbehaviour and sexual harassment by police personnel.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi demanded a response from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, pointing out that Delhi Police comes under his ministry.

“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?” Gandhi wrote on X. “Delhi Police comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Amit Shah ji, where are you? You have to answer for this,” he said.

The Press Club of India said it was “shocked and dismayed” by the treatment of journalists and urged the police to act on the complaints. DIGIPUB also demanded immediate action against the police officers.

This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.