The suspension comes amid growing tensions within the Delhi Police after personnel demonstrated outside headquarters, demanding the reinstatement of ACP Manasvi Vashishtha and Inspector Arun Kumar.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, November 3, 2026: A rare and public show of dissent within the Delhi Police has deepened, with Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Manasvi Vashishtha suspended on Tuesday, a day after he led a protest by around 150 police personnel outside the force headquarters against the transfer of two officers following a clash with lawyers at Shahdara police station.
ACP Vashishtha emerged as the visible face of Monday’s demonstration, in which personnel — including several women officers — gathered outside the headquarters demanding the reversal of the transfers and protection of the force’s dignity. The protest followed departmental action against Vashishtha and Inspector Arun Kumar, the former Station House Officer (SHO) of Shahdara police station. Both officers were transferred after a confrontation between police personnel and lawyers on October 23.
The protesters sought the reinstatement of the two officers in their previous postings. The protesters, including ACP Vasistha, also demanded action against lawyers allegedly involved in the incident and the registration of FIRs against those accused of indulging in “hooliganism.” A delegation of police personnel later met Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar and submitted a five-point charter of demands. These included concrete steps against the lawyers involved in the Shahdara episode and measures to restore the morale of the force.
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Delhi Police is protesting outside their own headquarters today. https://t.co/ZWlrU3bTdA
— Harsh Chhikara (@imharshchhikara) November 3, 2026
In a statement, Delhi Police said the Commissioner had assured the delegation that appropriate action would be taken promptly. The assurance was framed as an effort to address the concerns of the personnel and prevent further erosion of morale within the ranks.
During the protest, the officers carried placards and repeatedly raised the slogan “Vardi ka apmaan nahi sahenge” (We will not tolerate any insult to the uniform). The demonstration remained largely peaceful, though tension briefly mounted outside Gate No. 1 of the police headquarters.
Senior officers, including New Delhi DCP Sachin Sharma, reached the spot and attempted to persuade the protesters to call off the agitation and disperse. The intervention reflected the administration’s effort to contain an unusual public expression of discontent from within the force.
Such open protests by serving police personnel outside headquarters remain uncommon in the Delhi Police, making Monday’s gathering and the subsequent suspension of the officer who led it a significant development. The sequence of events — beginning with the October 23 confrontation, followed by the transfers, the protest, and now the suspension — has drawn attention to issues of accountability, chain of command, and the handling of conflicts involving police and members of the legal community. As of Tuesday, official details of the precise grounds of Vashishtha’s suspension had not been publicly elaborated, though sources linked it directly to her role in the previous day’s demonstration.
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