NEW DELHI | The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday took to the streets seeking justice for a woman journalist who was sexually harassed at Jantar Mantar. Led by AAP Delhi President Saurabh Bharadwaj, MLAs Sanjeev Jha and Kuldeep Kumar and other party ‘karyakartas’ (workers) reached Parliament Street Police Station and demanded an FIR (First Information Report) against Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vivek Bhagat, revealing that no case had been registered despite the complaint.
The AAP leaders gheraoed the police station and raised slogans against the Delhi Police, with Saurabh Bharadwaj questioning the different standards of action in cases involving ordinary citizens and those in positions of power. He pointed to the immediate FIR and arrest following the slapping of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and demanded similar action against the ACP.
Senior AAP leader and Delhi Unit President Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “For the past two days, there have been protests at Jantar Mantar, but not a single protester raised a hand against the police or engaged in any violence. Yet look at the manner in which the police treated 75-year-old and even older citizens, civil society members, MPs and MLAs. They treated them so disrespectfully and threw them around as if they were throwing sheep and goats. We tolerated all of that, but if an ACP-level police officer molests a woman journalist, India will not tolerate it.”
He shared, “ACP Vivek Bhagat is an arrogant and ill-mannered officer. As public servants, we have to deal with police personnel every day. When officers do good work, we tell people they are good, and when officers are ill-mannered and arrogant, we speak about that too. ACP Vivek Bhagat is a petty, ill-mannered and arrogant officer, and what is even more painful is that the entire police force has now stood behind this molester officer.”
He explained, “The law is absolutely clear that if someone commits an act of sexual harassment against a woman of this nature, no officer or official is exempt from the law and no prosecution sanction is required. The police are lying. Just as a case is filed and an FIR registered against an ordinary person, the SHO of Parliament Street Police Station should register a case against ACP Vivek Bhagat. The Central Government talks about ‘one country, one election’, but there cannot be one country with two sets of laws, where there is one law for ordinary people and another for police and government personnel.”
Saurabh Bharadwaj recalled, “Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was reportedly slapped by a pet lover. What happened was wrong and she should not have been slapped, but the person was immediately arrested and attempt to murder charges were imposed for the slap. That accused has been in custody for more than a year. On the other hand, BJP Minister Parvesh Verma slapped a whistleblower and snatched his mobile phone. Videos of the incident have been circulating across the country, but no FIR has been registered against Parvesh Verma.”
He further stated, “A ‘gunda’ named Satyam Pandit called two 16-year-old boys from Uttar Pradesh within the jurisdiction of this very Parliament Street Police Station, abused them using slurs against their mothers and sisters, and slapped them. The video and a written complaint were submitted to the DCP of this police station, Sachin Sharma, but Satyam Pandit has still not been arrested. What is Satyam Pandit, Minister Parvesh Verma and CM Rekha Gupta to the police? An ACP has molested a woman journalist, yet an FIR is not even being registered against him.”
Saurabh Bharadwaj explained, “The FIR is not being registered because all the ‘gundas’ in the streets and neighbourhoods who stand at roadside tea stalls and harass people’s daughters, making it difficult for them to go to college, sit and drink tea with SHOs at police stations in the evenings. This police force has worked only to provide protection to ‘gundas’, thugs and eve-teasers across Delhi, which is why crime has not been brought under control. When a girl complains of harassment or says that her daughter cannot go to college, the police do not register a case.”
Referring to another incident, Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “In Greater Kailash Part-2, the son of former MCD Commissioner and senior IAS officer Ashwani Kumar entered a girl’s house, assaulted her, attempted to rape her and threatened her with an acid attack. They have videos of this as well, but the police have taken no action against him so far and have not arrested him either. There cannot be one country with two sets of laws. The Delhi Police will have to register an FIR against that officer and arrest him as well. Until that happens, our struggle will continue.”
On the question of handing the case over to the Crime Branch, Saurabh Bharadwaj responded, “What will happen by handing it over to the Crime Branch or the CBI? An FIR has not even been registered, has it? Why was the investigation into CM Rekha Gupta’s case handed over to the Crime Branch, while the accused was not let off? When we come to the government, you detain us and throw us around like dogs. You do not release us in the name of an investigation. Therefore, we do not want this charade of the CBI or the Crime Branch. We want an FIR to be registered under the ordinary provisions of law in the case of the molestation of the woman.”
He also appealed to journalists, stating, “Over the past week, we have seen journalists being treated disrespectfully. Journalists have been grabbed by the neck and collar, and several videos of this have also surfaced. When this police force has now reached the daughters of journalists, when their hands have reached the chest of their sisters, tomorrow it will reach their necks as well. Everyone must come together and show the real face of this police force to the entire world. Their high-handedness will not be allowed to continue. DCP Sachin Sharma has taken no action in the Satyam Pandit and pellet gun cases, and I am completely certain that he will not take any action in this case either.”
Meanwhile, Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha stated, “The police have been behaving disrespectfully continuously, and this is not the first such incident. We have endured all the police misconduct. They dragged us, picked us up and threw us around, but we tolerated all of that. Many women ‘karyakartas’ of the Aam Aadmi Party have already held press conferences and explained how the police have been behaving disrespectfully with them.”
He asserted, “On Saturday, however, all limits were crossed when a senior ACP behaved improperly with a woman journalist and tried to molest her. The police are not registering an FIR in this matter. This is a straightforward case: if a woman complains of molestation, an FIR should immediately be registered, as is done in ordinary cases. Why is this ACP being protected, and who is protecting him?”
He added, “Today, the Aam Aadmi Party has come to Parliament Street Police Station to speak to the DCP so that, just as FIRs are registered in other cases of molestation, an FIR is also registered against ACP Vivek Bhagat. He has also behaved improperly with our women workers several times. The police misconduct has now crossed all limits, which is why we have come here today, and we will not leave until the FIR is registered.”
On the other hand, Kondli MLA Kuldeep Kumar stated, “The manner in which a woman journalist was treated and harassed is deeply serious. We were present outside the police station until midnight on Saturday to get an FIR registered in the matter, but the police did not register it. Today, the entire Aam Aadmi Party delegation has come to the police station, and the police will have to register this FIR under all circumstances.”
He further stated, “This police officer struck the woman journalist on her chest, pinched her, harassed her and hurled abuses at her. The AAP’s clear demand is that an FIR be registered immediately against officers such as ACP Vivek Bhagat who engage in such shameful acts against women, and strict action must be taken against them.”
