Delhi: Protest Held Outside Parliament Street Police Station Over Journalists’ Sexual Harassment Allegations
Demonstrators seek FIR, CCTV examination and action over allegations involving police personnel during the October 3 Jantar Mantar protest.
New Delhi, Oct 5: Protesters demonstrated outside the Parliament Street police station on Monday, seeking registration of an FIR and a detailed investigation into allegations that three women journalists were sexually harassed by police personnel during a protest at Jantar Mantar on October 3.
Several demonstrators were detained during the protest. The protesters demanded that CCTV recordings from the area be examined and that appropriate action be taken on the complaints submitted by the journalists.
One protester said they had approached the police station shortly after the alleged incident and requested access to CCTV footage. According to the protester, police officials asked them to return after 24 hours.
The protester claimed that when they returned and again sought the footage, it was not provided. They also alleged that no FIR was registered and that they were detained while seeking an update on the complaints.
Another demonstrator demanded a proper examination of the CCTV footage and alleged that a complaint involving the police officer concerned had also been submitted in July.
She claimed that the earlier complaint had not been investigated and alleged that authorities were similarly failing to take the latest allegations seriously.
The demonstration followed allegations made by three women journalists, who claimed they were sexually harassed by police personnel while participating in a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Jantar Mantar.
Following the complaints, the New Delhi district police transferred the matter to the Crime Branch for a “fair and impartial enquiry”, according to a police officer.
One of the journalists had earlier told PTI that an assistant commissioner of police allegedly sexually assaulted her after she questioned why women police personnel were not deployed at the protest venue.
The allegations have prompted demands for an independent examination of available evidence, including CCTV recordings, and accountability in the handling of the complaints.
