The Delhi government has modified its order assigning Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) charge to ACP Vivek Bhagat after he opted not to take the temporary responsibility until an inquiry into allegations by women journalists is completed. The change was announced late on Monday after Bhagat had been named among 12 DANIPS officers given additional charge of ADCP posts.
The Delhi government said on its official X account that the 5 October order was being amended with regard to Bhagat. The remaining 11 officers will be issued the additional-charge order again, according to the statement.
The government said the proposal to assign the additional responsibilities had been initiated on 25 August, before the current developments, and that the order was issued on 5 October after receiving the necessary approvals. It described the arrangement as temporary and said it did not carry any financial benefit.
The statement also clarified that officers holding the additional charge could not perform the statutory duties assigned to a regularly appointed ADCP. Bhagat, it said, had voluntarily requested not to accept the charge until the inquiry into the alleged harassment of women journalists was completed and reached a satisfactory conclusion.
The allegations relate to a protest in New Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. According to the report, three women journalists alleged sexual harassment by police officials during the demonstration at Jantar Mantar on Saturday. Delhi Police said it had received complaints and forwarded them to the Crime Branch for an impartial investigation.
In a post on its official X account, Delhi Police said the protest had created a law-and-order situation in the New Delhi area and that the complaints received by the New Delhi district had been sent to the Crime Branch. The allegations have not been established, and the investigation is pending.
The original order listed 12 officers for the temporary ADCP responsibility: Dr Vikas Shyokand, A Venkatesh, Gursevak Singh, Renu Lata, Vidushi Kaushik, Manu Himanshu, Sakaria Mihir Pravinbhai, Garima Tiwari, Vivek Bhagat, Ashish Kumar, Manish Ladla and Rohit Gupta. Officials described the assignment as part of a regular administrative process for which the request had been submitted earlier.
The order modification separates the administrative question of temporary police charge from the inquiry into the allegations. Bhagat will not take the additional responsibility while the investigation continues, while the remaining officers are to receive the revised order. The next formal step is the reissue of the charge order for the other 11 DANIPS officers and the continuation of the Crime Branch inquiry.
