The Delhi government reversed course late Monday, withholding the promotion of ACP Vivek Bhagat to Additional DCP after he voluntarily requested to step back from the charge. This move follows allegations that Bhagat, then holding the rank of Assistant Commissioner, sexually harassed a woman journalist during the October 3 protest at Jantar Mantar. The initial order, issued on October 5, had assigned current duty charges to 12 officers, including Bhagat, a proposal originated on August 25 before the controversy erupted.
Bhagat’s decision to withdraw from the assignment was not coerced by the administration but was his own, the government clarified on X. He asked that the charge be withheld until a full inquiry into the alleged harassment of women journalists concludes satisfactorily. Consequently, the Delhi government is reissuing the order to assign the current duty charges to the remaining 11 officers, excluding Bhagat for now.
The assignment of current duty charge is a temporary administrative arrangement that confers no financial benefit, the government noted. It does not allow the assigned officers to exercise the statutory duties of the regular incumbents. This technical distinction was highlighted to clarify the nature of the role Bhagat was set to assume before the allegations surfaced.
The harassment allegations stem from the October 3 protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Three women journalists accused Delhi Police officers of sexual harassment during the demonstration. The Delhi Police has accepted the complaints and forwarded them to the Crime Branch for a detailed inquiry, a process that will now determine Bhagat’s professional status and the final outcome of the promotion list.