3 female scribes allege sexual harassment by Delhi police

New Delhi: Three female journalists were allegedly sexually harassed by Delhi Police officers on Saturday during the All-India Students’ Association (AISA) protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

The Delhi Police confirmed they have received the complaints from the three journalists and said the cases will be probed by the Crime Branch. “On 03-10-26, during the protest in New Delhi area, while being in law & order situation, allegations of sexual harassment were made by three female journalists against police officers.New Delhi District police have received their complaints and the same are transferred to the Crime Branch for fair and impartial enquiry,” Delhi Police said in a post on X on Sunday.

One of the journalists in a video statement shared on social media late on Saturday said she was allegedly groped by an ACP-level officer. She alleged she had been sitting outside the Parliament Street Police Station for several hours, but the police were not willing to register an FIR.

“Earlier today, when Neha Bora (AISA national president) was detained, I was shooting a video. ACP (name withheld) squeezed my breast and pushed me. When I confronted him, he ran away. It’s been three and a half hours, and no one is ready to file my complaint and register the FIR,” the journalist said.

A large number of activists, protesters and journalists protested outside the police station after an FIR was not immediately registered over the complaints.

They demanded that the police register a complaint and initiate legal action in the matter. The demonstration saw the participation of independent journalists alongside content creators and journalists associated with various digital media outlets.

They argued that if a police officer is accused of committing a crime against a woman, the complaint should be treated like any other criminal complaint, and action should be taken in accordance with the law. The Press Club of India expressed “shock and dismay” over the police’s treatment of journalists covering the protest and urged the Delhi Police to immediately act on the complaint.

“Behaviour of this kind cannot be normalised in a democracy. Journalists must be allowed to work freely, without fear, and document those who gather to raise various issues. That this is not being allowed even at the heart of the national capital does not bode well for the trajectory of media freedom in India,” it said in a statement.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Hans India