New Delhi: Delhi Police Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vivek Bhagat, who was accused of molesting a woman journalist during an anti-Election Commission protest in the national capital, has alleged that she made casteist remarks against him and humiliated him in public. An FIR has been registered against the journalist under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, along with provisions relating to obstruction of a public servant and criminal defamation.
According to a report by ThePrint, Bhagat, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste community, identified himself as a member of the Megh/Mehgwal community in his complaint. He alleged that the journalist made derogatory remarks about his caste and questioned how a person from his community could become an ACP.
The officer claimed that the remarks were made near the Buta Singh Roundabout on October 3, when he was deployed for law-and-order duty following a call for a protest against the Election Commission of India (ECI).
According to his complaint, demonstrators had gathered around 2.30 pm to proceed towards Jantar Mantar. Police personnel announced the enforcement of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and asked the protesters to disperse. When they allegedly refused, the police began detaining demonstrators and moving them into buses.
Bhagat said that around 3 pm, while clearing a passage for a bus carrying detainees, he turned around and found the journalist accusing him of sexually assaulting her. He alleged that she and her associates repeatedly confronted him, questioning his conduct, and that their actions obstructed his official duties.
The ACP further alleged that the journalist and her colleagues staged a protest outside Parliament Street police station later that day, around 6.15 pm, and publicly labelled him a “sexual predator” and a “potential rapist”. He also claimed that posts on social media platforms, including X and Instagram, were circulated against him.
Bhagat said the allegations had affected his mental health and damaged his reputation. He described the complaint against him as malicious and sought police action over the alleged casteist remarks and defamation.
The development comes after Delhi Police arrested a man from Haryana’s Palwal on October 6 for allegedly circulating fabricated CCTV footage purportedly showing the ACP misbehaving with the journalist. Additional DCP Manjeet Sheoran said the accused had allegedly used artificial intelligence tools to generate the footage.
No FIR has been registered against Bhagat in connection with the woman’s sexual assault allegations, which were transferred to the Delhi Police Crime Branch for inquiry, according to the report.
The allegations made by both sides remain subject to investigation.
