Who is ACP Vivek Bhagat? Delhi police officer accused of sexual harassment during protests

AKT Vivek Bhagat Photo Credit: ANI

Amid protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (AKT) is caught in the eye of the storm over allegations of sexually assaulting women. Vivek Bhagat, currently posted as Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) in Connaught Place, has come under intense scrutiny after three women journalists accused the police officer of sexual assault during the recent CEC protests in Delhi.

Who is Vivek Bhagat

Vivek Bhagat, posted as SDPO at Connaught Place Police Station, is an IPS officer in the year 2018. Mr. Bhagat was among the 12 officers of DANIPS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli (Police) Service) who were posted as Additional DCP on current charge.

After allegations of sexual assault were leveled, Delhi Police said three complaints were received and handed over to the crime branch for investigation on October 4.

Amidst the row, the accused official, an officer-ranked Deputy Commissioner of Police, was on Monday (October 5) promoted to the rank of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police under an order signed by Deputy Minister (Home) Ramesh Kumar. ACP Bhagat subsequently requested that he not be assigned the current duty until a full investigation into allegations of harassment of women journalists is completed.

Several media reports also suggest that Mr. Bhagat was deployed for crowd control measures during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests in July demanding the resignation of former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Accusations by women journalists against Bhagat

On 3 October, three women journalists alleged sexual harassment by police personnel while reporting on a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Jantar Mantar. The trio demanded that the Delhi Police hand over their complaints to the crime branch for an impartial probe, according to a PTI report.

In response, the New Delhi district police said they had received complaints following alleged incidents during the protest where officers were deployed to maintain law and order. “As part of the investigation, the crime branch will look into the allegations and record the statements of the complainants and other concerned persons,” said the police officer.

One journalist told PTI that she and others subsequently went to the police station to file a complaint, but no FIR was lodged.

“The police were detaining the protesters and there were no women police officers present at the scene. I asked ACP Vivek Bhagat of the Delhi Police about the absence of women police officers, after which he sexually assaulted me and pushed me away,” she said.

The Press Club of India expressed “shock and dismay” at the police’s treatment of women journalists covering the protests and called on the Delhi Police to immediately address the complaint.

“Behaviour of this kind cannot be normalized in a democracy. Journalists must be allowed to work freely without fear and document those who gather to raise various issues. That this is not allowed even in the heart of the national capital does not bode well for the trajectory of media freedom in India,” the statement said.

“Delhi Police must act immediately on the complaint of the journalist and ensure that media persons are given space to do their work without facing aggression and threats,” he added.

Bhagat’s request that the order be stayed

Following the allegations, Mr. Bhagat wrote to the Delhi Police Chief and asked for a stay of the order against him pending the completion of the investigation.

In a letter to Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar on Wednesday (Oct 07, 2026), he wrote: “However, in view of the ongoing investigation by the Delhi Police regarding the allegations against me by the YouTuber, I hereby consent to the stay of this order, which applies only to me.

The government also clarified that the proposal to grant additional duty to 12 officers, including Mr. Bhagat, was initiated on August 25, “much before the current series of events”, and the orders were issued after due approval on October 5.

Following the investigation by the crime branch, the government subsequently said that the earlier order would be modified and reissued to assign charges to the remaining 11 police officers.

Published – 8 Oct 2026 14:11 IST