Crime branch will investigate ACP Vivek Bhagat on the case of misbehavior with a female journalist, but is this possible without FIR?

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ACP Vivek Bhagat Case: What happened during the ongoing protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is highly condemnable. It is alleged that ACP Vivek Bhagat, a top officer of Delhi Police, who is responsible for public safety, shamefully misbehaved with a woman journalist.

It is said that the police is there for the safety of the public, but when the protector itself becomes the predator, then deep anger and bitter questions are bound to arise in the society. When the hope of justice starts fading and the khaki itself becomes tainted, then whom should the public go to for security?

According to information received by the media, Delhi Police ACP Vivek Bhagat has been accused of very serious allegations of sexual harassment and misbehavior with a female journalist during the protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. To ensure fair investigation in this case, Delhi Police has handed over this complaint to the Crime Branch.

What is the whole matter?

Actually, there was a protest by All India Students Association (AISA) workers demanding the resignation of Election Commissioner (EC) Gyanesh Kumar at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Meanwhile, ‘Rosie’, an independent female journalist doing ground coverage, made very serious allegations against ACP Vivek Bhagat of Delhi Police. The female journalist says that while she was making a video of the protesters being detained, the ACP hit her on the chest, touched her inappropriately and pushed her.

According to Delhi Police, not just one but three women journalists have accused policemen of misbehavior and sexual harassment during the protest. After this incident, angry journalists and social organizations have opened a front. Several journalist organizations, including Saurav Das, chief spokesperson of ‘Citizens for Justice and Peace’ (CJP), staged a massive protest outside the Sansad Marg (Parliament Street) police station. Press Club of India (PCI) and CJP have demanded immediate registration of a strict FIR against the accused police officer.

Crime branch will investigate

Considering the sensitivity of the matter, Delhi Police has transferred the complaints to the Crime Branch. The Crime Branch will now record the statements of the victim journalists and concerned witnesses and thoroughly investigate the video footage related to the incident. But this is bound to raise a serious question that when the victim is continuously demanding to register an FIR, then how did the police transfer the case to the crime branch without registering an FIR?

Is it legally possible to proceed with the investigation of a criminal complaint in this manner without an FIR? By law, in cases of cognizable offenses like molestation and sexual harassment, it is mandatory to file an FIR immediately under the guidelines of the Supreme Court, but this haste of the police here has raised many doubts.

Politics heated up on ACP Vivek Bhagat case

After this misbehavior with the female journalist, now the politics of Delhi has become completely heated. In this matter, the opposition parties have started cornering the Delhi Police and the Central Government. In this connection, senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj himself reached Sansad Marg police station.

He raised sharp questions on the working style of Delhi Police working under the Central Government and demanded immediate strict action against the accused ACP Vivek Bhagat. However, amidst this huge political pressure, Delhi Police’s investigation is going on, but till now no official or public statement has come out from the accused ACP on this entire controversy.

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