Delhi Govt withholds current duty charge of Additional DCP given to officer accused of sexually harassing journalist

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Mediapersons and Protesters seen sitting outside the Parliament Street Police Station in New Delhi on October 5, 2026. | Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma

The current duty charge (CDC) of the post of Additional Deputy Commissioner of police to Assistant Commissioner (ACP) Vivek Bhagat — accused of sexually harassing a woman journalist during a protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi — has been withheld, the Delhi government said late on Monday (October 5, 2026).

A Delhi government order earlier in the day assigned CDC of additional DCP to 12 DANIPS officers including Mr. Bhagat.

The proposal to confer additional duty charge to these officers was initiated on August 25, "much before the present set of events", the government said in a post X late Monday (October 5, 2026). The orders were issued after due approval on October 5.

The government clarified that assignment of CDC is a temporary arrangement which confers no financial benefit, and no statutory duties of the regular incumbents can be exercised by the officers to whom CDC has been assigned.

However, ACP Vivek Bhagat, "of his own volition, has requested not to avail the current duty charge assignment, till a full enquiry has been conducted in the matter of alleged harassment of women journalists and such enquiry has been satisfactorily concluded," the post read.

Accordingly, the earlier order is being modified and will be reissued with respect to assignment of CDC on the 11 remaining officers, it added.

Earlier in the day, ACP Bhagat — accused of sexually harassing a woman journalist during the October 3 protest at Jantar Mantar — was assigned the rank of additional DCP, drawing sharp reaction from various quarters.

Three women journalists accused Delhi Police officers of sexual harassment during the October 3 protest against alleged irregularities in the Election Commission's functioning and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The Delhi Police has received the complaints and forwarded them to Crime Branch for further inquiry.

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