journalist who accused a Delhi Police inspector of molesting her said in her complaint that he groped her breast even after being told that she was with the media.
Police said a case was registered yesterday, and that an investigation was under way.
Inspector Vidhyadhar Singh (SHO, Delhi Cantonment) was accused of molesting the journalist during a students’ march, and has been sent to the district lines, the police said.
WHAT THE COMPLAINANT SAID
The complainant said she and another journalist were standing in a service lane near the site of a protest organised by students of Jawaharlal Nehru University, when the police started hitting the demonstrators with batons. She alleged that Vidhyadhar Singh pushed her and the other journalist.
”Both of us at that point told Mr Singh that we are journalists and he backed off for two minutes. He then proceeded to come towards us again and hooked at my chest and placed his hand on my right breast and pushed me again” – Journalist, in police complaint
The journalist claimed that when she, along with other media people, confronted Singh about the incident, he “denied (it) saying to my face that I was lying”.
Following her complaint, a vigilance inquiry was ordered into the matter. The journalist reiterated her allegations in front of those looking into the incident.
INSPECTOR DENIES ALLEGATIONS
The police inspector denied the allegations. The case was yesterday transferred to the Crime Branch for a thorough probe. On Friday, JNU students had taken out a march from the varsity campus towards Parliament.
At the Sanjay Jheel area in Lakshmi Bai Nagar, police lathi-charged the crowd and used water cannons to disperse the students and teachers who had gathered there as well as journalists covering the protests.
Two journalists filed separate complaints – one on molestation and another on assault – with regard to violent incidents at the march.
A woman constable and a male head constable were suspended on Sunday for allegedly snatching the camera of a photojournalist during the protest.
In a video of the incident, at least eight policewomen can be seen roughing up the woman. “Never thought I would be manhandled by lady Delhi Police officers while doing my job,” the journalist tweeted. (Inputs from PTI & India Today)
