The Delhi government has decided to modify its order assigning the current duty charge of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police to 12 DANIPS officers after ACP Vivek Bhagat, who is facing allegations of sexual harassment of a woman journalist, requested that he be excluded from the arrangement until an ongoing inquiry is completed.
The government said Bhagat had, “of his own volition”, sought not to avail himself of the current duty charge until a full inquiry into the allegations involving women journalists had been conducted and “satisfactorily concluded”. The October 5 order will consequently be reissued for the remaining 11 officers.
Government says no promotion
The clarification came after the original order triggered criticism and was widely described as a promotion for Bhagat, who is currently serving as ACP, Connaught Place.
The government clarified that the order did not constitute a regular promotion to the rank of Additional DCP. It merely assigned the officers the current duty charge of vacant Additional DCP posts as a temporary administrative arrangement.
The assignment carried no additional financial benefits and did not permit officers holding the current duty charge to exercise statutory powers reserved for regular incumbents of the posts.
Sources in the Lieutenant Governor’s establishment also said Bhagat continued to hold the rank of ACP and had not been promoted to Additional DCP.
Proposal preceded allegations
The government said the proposal to assign the current duty charge to the officers had been initiated on August 25, more than a month before the events that resulted in the complaints against Bhagat.
The order was subsequently issued on October 5 after completing the approval process. By then, however, Bhagat had become the subject of a Crime Branch inquiry following allegations arising from an October 3 protest near Jantar Mantar.
The timing of the order led to criticism because the temporary Additional DCP assignment came just two days after the alleged incident. Authorities have stressed that the administrative process began well before the complaints were made.
11 officers to get charge
With Bhagat opting out, the government will reissue the order assigning current duty charge of Additional DCP posts to the other 11 DANIPS officers.
The officers covered by the original order included Dr Vikas Sheokand, A Venkatesh, Gursewak Singh, Renu Lata, Vidushi Kaushik, Manu Himanshu, Sakaria Mihir Pravinbhai, Garima Tiwari, Ashish Kumar, Manish Ladla and Rohit Gupta, besides Bhagat.
The arrangement is temporary and will remain in place until the Ministry of Home Affairs fills the posts on a regular basis. The officers given current duty charge will not receive seniority, pay, allowances or other benefits attached to regular Additional DCP appointments.
Crime Branch inquiry underway
Bhagat is among the Delhi Police officers facing allegations arising from the October 3 protest near Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Three women who identified themselves as journalists complained of sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct by police personnel deployed at the protest.
One of the complainants specifically accused Bhagat of inappropriate physical contact while she was covering the detention of protesters. The allegations have not been established, and the inquiry remains underway.
Delhi Police said the complaints received by New Delhi district had been transferred to the Crime Branch to ensure a “fair and impartial enquiry”. Investigators are examining available CCTV footage and other video material and recording statements as part of the probe.
Journalists sought FIR
The complaints prompted journalists and supporters of the women to gather outside Parliament Street police station seeking registration of an FIR and action against the officers accused of misconduct.
The Press Club of India also expressed concern over the treatment of journalists during the protest and called upon Delhi Police to act on the complaints.
On Monday, several people, including journalists and one of the complainants, were detained after continuing their protest outside the police station. Police said prohibitory orders restricting unauthorised gatherings were in force and that those present had been asked to disperse.
The allegations against Bhagat and other police personnel remain under investigation, and no finding of guilt has been made.
Order sparked political row
The original October 5 order had drawn criticism after being interpreted as Bhagat’s promotion while the Crime Branch inquiry was pending. Opposition leaders and protesters questioned why an officer facing such allegations was being moved to a higher-duty position before the investigation was completed.
The government’s subsequent clarification sought to distinguish between promotion and current duty charge. It stressed that the arrangement was temporary, did not confer the benefits of a regular Additional DCP appointment and arose from an administrative proposal initiated before the October 3 incident.
Bhagat’s decision to opt out has now effectively removed that immediate controversy from the administrative order while the allegations against him continue to be examined separately.
The revised order will cover only the remaining 11 officers, while Bhagat will continue as ACP pending the outcome of the Crime Branch inquiry.