Three women journalists have alleged sexual harassment by Delhi Police personnel during protests in the Indian capital, and 17 people were detained on Monday morning after camping overnight outside a police station to demand that a formal complaint be registered.
The allegations
The journalists allege they were sexually harassed by police officers while covering a protest at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, October 3. One complainant, who named Assistant Commissioner of Police Vivek Bhagat, told PTI she had questioned him about the absence of women police personnel during detentions and alleged he touched her inappropriately and pushed her back.
The complaints were transferred to the Delhi Police Crime Branch for what police called a "fair and impartial enquiry." The women's statements were recorded on Sunday, they underwent medical examinations, and police said CCTV footage from the protest site would be examined.
The journalists say they went to a police station on October 3 to lodge an FIR and were told to return after 24 hours; one complainant said she sat at Parliament Street station until around 1:30 am Sunday with no case registered.
The Press Club of India said it was "shocked and dismayed" and demanded immediate action; the Press Council of India also urged police to act on the complaint. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi accused the police of misconduct and said the Home Ministry must "answer for this."
17 detained outside Parliament Street station
On Monday morning, October 5, around 17 people — including freelance journalists, YouTubers, and one of the alleged victims — who had camped overnight outside Parliament Street police station were detained one by one and taken by bus to Delhi Cantt Police Station.
A senior officer said Section 163 of the BNSS has been imposed across the New Delhi district, prohibiting public gatherings of five or more without prior written permission. DCP Neha Yadav said police acted on Saturday only after protesters refused orders to leave the area.
Why the protests: voter-roll revision
The protests began Friday, October 2, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls — an exercise that has struck roughly 130 million names off draft voter lists, which the Election Commission says removes duplicate and ineligible entries. Mass detentions were reported across the weekend.
Opposition leaders allege the Commission is acting at the behest of the ruling BJP and that the revision benefits the party; the Commission has rejected allegations of wrongdoing, and Kumar himself has not commented. The Supreme Court was expected to hear petitions on the matter on Monday.
The mobilization has been led in part by the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical online movement founded by Abhijeet Dipke, whose co-convener demanded the accused officer be "arrested immediately."
As with all allegations of this kind, the claims remain unproven until investigated and adjudicated; Delhi Police say the inquiry is ongoing.
Watch: "Jantar Mantar Protest Row: 3 Women Journos Allege Sexual Harassment, Crime Branch To Probe" (Times Now report on the allegations and detentions).
Reel music: Kevin MacLeod - Hitman (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources: The Indian Express, The Indian Express (detentions), NDTV, The Manila Times