Protesters in Hyd demand action against ACP over alleged assault of journalist
Hyderabad: Disha Students’ Organisation and Naujawan Bharat Sabha jointly organised a citizens’ protest at People’s Plaza on Necklace Road on Sunday, condemning allegations of sexual harassment against Delhi police ACP Vivek Bhagat by a woman journalist while she was covering a protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi on Oct 3. More than 30 representatives of the two organisations participated in the protest, while some passers-by also joined the gathering.
Hina, a representative of Stree Mukti League, said the incident had raised questions about the ability of the police to ensure women’s safety. The allegations against Bhagat stem from a protest in New Delhi where women journalists alleged sexual harassment and manhandling by police personnel while covering the detention of protesters. At the Hyderabad gathering, speakers demanded strict action against Bhagat and an inquiry into the alleged police violence against protesters. They also raised concerns about the safety of independent journalists covering protests and the accountability of police personnel accused of misconduct. “Women face violence in homes, on the streets and at workplaces. How can we trust state institutions to protect us when a senior police officer is accused of harassing a woman journalist during a protest?” she asked. Participants raised slogans against Bhagat and the Delhi police and sang protest songs. Pamphlets circulated at the gathering alleged that the SIR could endanger citizens’ voting rights and called for a broader movement against what the organisers described as patriarchal violence and curbs on democratic rights.
Delhi Police said on Sunday that it had received complaints from three women and transferred them to the Crime Branch for an impartial inquiry.