Delhi Police face sexual harassment claims from journalists at Jantar Mantar protest

Delhi Police have launched a Crime Branch inquiry after three women journalists accused officers of sexual harassment during protests at Jantar Mantar. The allegations have sparked widespread political outrage, prompting the opposition to demand answers from the Home Ministry as demonstrations in the capital escalate.

The complaints stem from protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over controversial revisions to India's voter rolls. One of the journalists told the PTI news agency that an assistant commissioner of police, whom she identified as ACP Vivek Bhagat, sexually assaulted and pushed her when she questioned why no female officers were present while protesters were being detained.

Two other female journalists have filed similar complaints of inappropriate touching by police personnel during Saturday's demonstrations. While the Delhi Police confirmed they had received the three complaints and referred them to the Crime Branch for a "fair and impartial" inquiry, they have so far refused to register a formal First Information Report (FIR).

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which helped organise the protests, said officers at the Parliament Street police station refused to register the FIR against ACP Bhagat, citing the active Crime Branch investigation. CJP leader Saurav Das said the police were shielding their officer. Under Indian law, the party argued, an FIR must be registered immediately without a preliminary inquiry.

The allegations have drawn sharp condemnation from political leaders and media organisations. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah to answer for the "misbehaviour" of the Delhi Police, stating that women journalists must be allowed to work without fear. The Press Club of India said it was "shocked and dismayed" by the treatment of reporters, warning that such behaviour cannot be normalised in a democracy.

Meanwhile, the protests in central Delhi have grown increasingly volatile. On Sunday, demonstrators led by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and several student groups clashed with security forces, breaching barricades and blocking buses carrying detained protesters. Around 15 police personnel were injured and 110 people were detained in the latest skirmishes.

Among those held was AAP's Delhi unit chief, Saurabh Bharadwaj, who accused officers of manhandling him. Bharadwaj claimed police threw him around "like a football" and turned him upside down to hide his face from television cameras. Student activists also accused police of detaining Neha Bora, the national president of the All India Students' Association (AISA), in an unmarked private vehicle with no female officers present.

The unrest is centred on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Opponents claim the process, which has seen 130 million names removed from lists, is being manipulated by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to its advantage. Suspicion deepened after reports emerged that the country's two other election commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had formally objected 14 times to decisions made by the Chief Election Commissioner without their knowledge.