3 journalists accuse cops of sexual harassment at Jantar Mantar protest
Complaints by Women Journalists Sent to Delhi Crime Branch After Jantar Mantar Protest
Bharatmorning.com – Three women journalists have alleged that police personnel sexually harassed them while they were covering a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on October 3. Delhi Police said the complaints have been moved to the crime branch for a detailed and impartial inquiry.
The allegations emerged during demonstrations against the Election Commission, held despite prohibitory restrictions in the New Delhi area. The journalists said officers deployed at the site touched them inappropriately while they were reporting on the protest and subsequent detentions. The number of personnel accused and their identities have not been made public.
Police seek video evidence
Delhi Police acknowledged the complaints in a post on X, saying the allegations were made during a law-and-order deployment in New Delhi. It said the New Delhi district had received the representations and transferred them to the crime branch for a fair inquiry.
Neha Yadav, deputy commissioner of police for perception management and the media cell, appealed to people who may have recorded the incident to provide footage to investigators.
“Despite section 163 of the BNSS (prohibitory orders) being in force in the New Delhi area, AISA and other parties held a protest against SIR on October 3. The protesters were informed about Section 163 of the BNSS and directed to leave the spot, and action was taken to detain them when they did not comply. At around 6 pm, three women who identified themselves as journalists filed a complaint alleging manhandling by Delhi Police officials and staff during the detention. Their complaints were taken, they underwent medical examinations and all the complaints were sent to the crime branch. I request all of you that if you have any video footage related to this, please share it with the crime branch.”
The request for recordings is significant because the allegations concern conduct during a crowded public demonstration, where video material from journalists, protesters, bystanders and police deployments may help establish the sequence of events.
Journalists demand FIRs
On Saturday evening, independent reporters and social-media creators gathered outside Parliament Street police station, calling for First Information Reports to be registered against the officers named in the complaints. People returned on Sunday and continued to press for FIRs.
The protests over the allegations have focused attention on the distinction between a police inquiry and the registration of a criminal case. The women’s complaints have been sent for investigation, while demonstrators have demanded formal FIRs in relation to the accusations of sexual harassment.
A senior police officer said the matter required an investigation outside the immediate local policing setup because the claims involve alleged sexual offences against women and officers who were on duty. Personnel from Parliament Street police station and the New Delhi district were involved in managing the protest, the officer said, making it inappropriate for colleagues from the same station or district to examine the complaints.
“Since, several police officials from the Parliament Street police station and the New Delhi district were also in the protests-related law and order duty, it would have been unfair to assign officers of the same station or police district to conduct the enquiries into the complaints of the women journalists. Hence, the complaints have been transferred to the crime branch.”
Political reaction
The allegations also prompted criticism from political leaders and activists. Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, questioned why an FIR had not been registered after journalists assembled outside the police station.
“A female journalist has accused a police officer of misconduct at Jantar Mantar. For hours, hundreds of journalists have been sitting there with just one demand: that an FIR be registered. Isn’t that the police’s basic duty? They haven’t even done that.”
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi said the allegations had raised wider concerns about women’s safety during public reporting and peaceful demonstrations.
“During reporting at Jantar Mantar, women journalists have accused police personnel of sexual harassment. Despite protests by dozens of journalists, no FIR was filed, nor was any concrete action taken. Women engaged in peaceful protests also allege that the police are behaving very indecently with them. The very police whose job it is to provide security is making women feel threatened. From college students to journalists—women are facing insecurity everywhere.”
Protest linked to electoral-roll dispute
The October 3 demonstration was connected to objections over the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, process for electoral rolls. Protesters were seeking action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in that process.
Police said restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were in force in the New Delhi area. The provision enables authorities to impose orders aimed at preventing situations that may threaten public order.
At least 1,000 protesters were detained on Friday as they attempted to reach Jantar Mantar for the agitation. Three FIRs were later registered at Parliament Street and Connaught Place police stations on the basis of daily diary entries made by police personnel connected to the protest response.
Those cases invoke Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to disobedience of an order lawfully issued by a public servant. They concern the protest and alleged non-compliance with restrictions, rather than the separate complaints submitted by the three women journalists.
The crime branch inquiry will now be expected to examine the women’s accounts, medical examinations, available visual evidence and the deployment details of officers present at the scene. Its handling will be closely watched by journalists and civil-rights groups because the allegations involve both the safety of reporters covering public events and accountability during policing operations.
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