Journalist bodies protest alleged misconduct by Delhi Police ACP with woman reporter at Jantar Mantar
The Delhi Union of Journalists and the Delhi unit of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists have objected strongly to the alleged incident during the October 2 protest coverage.
A senior Delhi Police officer allegedly sexually misbehaved with a woman journalist while she was covering the October 2 protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, it has been alleged. The Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) and the Delhi unit of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists have expressed strong anger over the incident.
According to a statement by the journalist bodies, ACP Vivek Bhagat of Delhi Police is accused of allegedly grabbing a young woman journalist inappropriately while she was covering the protest. The organisations say the officer walked away when the journalist objected.
The organisations also claimed that a video related to the alleged incident has surfaced on social media. However, there has been no independent official confirmation of the allegations so far.
According to the organisations, the woman journalist has been going to the police for two days since the alleged incident to get an FIR registered. They allege that no case has been registered yet. They have demanded an impartial inquiry and immediate legal action on the complaint.
The journalist bodies have also questioned the police's alleged conduct during the Jantar Mantar protest. It is claimed that police treated journalists and protesters harshly at the site. The organisations also say some journalists were allegedly threatened to stop them from filming and reporting on the protest.
The statement says several women and men journalists have complained of alleged misbehaviour and obstruction by police. It also alleges that police are not permitting gatherings at Jantar Mantar even though it is a designated protest site.
According to the journalist bodies, many journalists who came to cover the protest were asked for press cards. Some journalists who asked about the name badges on police personnel's identity cards did not get a satisfactory answer, it is also claimed.
The DUJ and other journalist bodies have also said that asking journalists for a Press Information Bureau (PIB) card is not right. They say PIB cards are mostly issued to senior journalists covering Parliament and ministries. Many reporters and freelance journalists working in cities do not hold one. The organisations therefore claim that such journalists cannot be denied the right to cover public events or protests.
The DUJ has expressed concern over alleged attacks on and misbehaviour with journalists in the capital. It also referred to an incident in September in which two women journalists were allegedly detained at Saket police station and assaulted. The DUJ says such alleged treatment of journalists performing their duty raises a serious question about press freedom.
The DUJ has demanded an impartial judicial inquiry into the alleged attacks on and misbehaviour with journalists. The journalist bodies have also demanded that accountability be fixed on Delhi Police. The true picture regarding the woman journalist's allegations, the video and the complaint is expected to become clear only through an official inquiry. Demanding a transparent probe, the organisations have again raised the issue of journalists' safety.
