Forum for Constitutional Democracy slams Delhi Police over inaction on molestation complaints against ACP

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The Forum for Constitutional Democracy (FCD) on Monday condemned the Delhi Police for not registering an FIR against Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vivek Bhagat, who has been accused of molesting three women journalists.

In a statement, the FCD said the Delhi Police had received three complaints against the officer and referred them to the Crime Branch for inquiry. However, it alleged that no FIR had been registered so far despite the complaints. The organisation also pointed out that two of the complainants had previously lodged complaints against the same officer, but no action was allegedly taken.

The FCD also said the police could have registered an FIR first and subsequently transferred the case to the Crime Branch for investigation. Instead, it alleged that the authorities chose to conduct a preliminary inquiry, including examination of CCTV footage, before registering a case.

The forum demanded a prompt investigation into the complaints, immediate registration of an FIR against the ACP, and his suspension pending inquiry.

Expressing concern over the Delhi Police’s handling of the matter, the FCD described the response as alarming and called for accountability. The statement was issued by FCD convenor K. Ramachandra Murthy, and endorsed by former Supreme Court judge Justice B. Sudershan Reddy, academics G. Haragopal, Shantha Sinha, Rama Melkote, Telangana Press Academy Chairman K. Sreenivas Reddy, MLC M. Kodandaram, D. Narsimha Reddy, Gopal Reddy Gade and senior advocate G. Jyothy Kiran.

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