Three Women Journalists Allege Sexual Harassment by Police During Jantar Mantar Protest; Crime Branch Launches Probe.
New Delhi:
The Delhi Police has transferred complaints filed by three women journalists alleging sexual harassment by police personnel during a protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on October 3 to the Crime Branch for a fair and impartial inquiry, an officer said on Sunday.
The complaints relate to alleged incidents that took place when police personnel were deployed at the protest site to maintain law and order. The New Delhi district police received the complaints and subsequently referred them to the Crime Branch for investigation.
According to the police officer, the Crime Branch will examine the allegations and record statements from the complainants as well as other persons connected with the incident.
One of the journalists, alleged that an Assistant Commissioner of Police sexually assaulted her while she was covering the protest.
The journalist alleged that police personnel were detaining protesters and that there were no women police personnel present at the location. She said she questioned ACP Vivek Bhagat of the Delhi Police about the absence of women officers.
“Police personnel were detaining protesters, and there were no women police personnel present at the spot. 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 alleged.
The allegation has not been independently established, and the Crime Branch inquiry is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident and the statements of those involved.
The journalist further alleged that she and other persons subsequently approached a police station to lodge an FIR but claimed that no action had been taken at that stage.
The allegations have also drawn a response from the Press Council of India, which expressed “shock and dismay” over the reported treatment of journalists covering the protest and called upon the Delhi Police to take immediate action on the complaint.
The Press Council said that journalists should be able to perform their professional duties without fear or intimidation, particularly while covering protests and other public events.
“Behaviour of this kind cannot be normalised in a democracy,” the council said, stressing that journalists must be allowed to work freely and document events involving people raising various issues.
The council also said that the reported incident, having taken place in the national capital, raised concerns about the working conditions of journalists covering public demonstrations.
“The Delhi Police must immediately act on the female journalist’s complaint and ensure that it gives media persons the space to do their jobs without having to face aggression and threats,” it said.
The Crime Branch inquiry will now examine the complaints and the circumstances surrounding the alleged incidents. Statements from the journalists, police personnel and other witnesses are expected to form part of the investigation.
