The Delhi government has withheld the current duty charge (CDC) of the post of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police assigned to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vivek Bhagat, who has been accused of sexually harassing a woman journalist during a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi. The government said late Monday that Bhagat had himself requested that he not avail the temporary assignment until an inquiry into the allegations is completed and its findings are considered satisfactory.

The development followed a Delhi government order issued on October 5 assigning the CDC of Additional DCP to 12 DANIPS officers, including Bhagat. The order subsequently came under scrutiny because of the allegations against the ACP. The government clarified that the proposal to assign the additional duty charges had actually been initiated on August 25, well before the latest allegations and the events surrounding the protest. It said the orders were issued only after obtaining the required approval on October 5.

According to the Delhi government, the CDC arrangement is temporary and does not amount to a regular promotion or confer any additional financial benefit on the officers concerned. It also clarified that officers given such additional duty charges cannot exercise the statutory powers or duties assigned to the regular incumbents of those posts. The explanation was issued amid questions over the timing of the order and Bhagat's inclusion in the list of officers who had been assigned the temporary charge.

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The government said Bhagat had voluntarily decided not to take up the current duty charge while the allegations against him are investigated. In its statement, it said he had requested that he not avail the assignment “till a full enquiry has been conducted” into the alleged harassment of women journalists and until the inquiry had been satisfactorily concluded. The decision effectively keeps Bhagat from taking up the additional duty charge while the matter remains under examination, without prejudging the allegations against him.

The allegations reportedly relate to an incident during a protest in Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The protest was part of a wider political demonstration in the capital, where tensions have emerged around opposition parties' allegations concerning the electoral process and the Election Commission. The allegation involving Bhagat concerns a woman journalist who was covering the protest. Details of the complaint and the inquiry process have not been independently established beyond the information released by the authorities, and the allegation remains subject to investigation.

The Delhi government's clarification also sought to distinguish the administrative order from the ongoing controversy involving Bhagat. By pointing out that the CDC proposal was initiated weeks before the present set of events, the government said the temporary assignments were part of an earlier administrative process rather than a decision taken in response to the allegations. At the same time, Bhagat's decision to forgo the duty charge means he will not take up the additional responsibility while the inquiry continues. The government has not indicated how long the inquiry will take or what further administrative action could follow its findings.

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