Women journalists file sexual assault complaints against Delhi Police at Jantar Mantar protest

Three women journalists filed formal complaints on October 3 alleging sexual harassment by Delhi Police personnel while covering protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. The demonstrations were organised to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. According to Deccan Herald, the complaints were submitted to New Delhi district police and transferred to the Crime Branch for investigation. No first information report (FIR) had been registered as of October 4, with police citing a lack of evidence and stating a preliminary inquiry, including CCTV review, was underway.

One journalist specifically accused Assistant Commissioner of Police Vivek Bhagat of groping her while she recorded the detention of a student leader, according to Scroll. She said no immediate action was taken when she approached the Parliament Street police station. Protesters and journalists gathered outside the station demanding an FIR. Legal experts noted the Supreme Court's Lalita Kumari judgment mandates FIR registration for cognisable offences, with only limited exceptions for preliminary inquiry under the new Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.

“There were so many camera persons. There should be some evidence.”

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi demanded answers from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, noting Delhi Police reports to the Ministry of Home Affairs. In a Hindi post on X, Gandhi said hundreds of journalists had sat for hours demanding an FIR and alleged that women protesters were manhandled, cameras snatched, and hundreds detained on Saturday alone. The All India Students' Association (AISA) echoed the allegations, stating male police personnel groped women protesters, journalists, and lawyers.

Delhi Police detained several protesters at and around Jantar Mantar on Saturday, including senior activists Anjali Bhardwaj, Kapil Sibal, Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav, and AISA president Neha Bora. Police presence and barricades intensified despite protester numbers well below the venue's 5,000-person capacity. A lone woman sitting calmly with a poster was detained and taken away in a bus. Police outnumbered both protesters and media personnel at the site.