In an unprecedented move, around 100 Delhi Police personnel, including transferred ACP Manasvi Vashistha, gathered outside the headquarters on Monday demanding the rollback of transfers that followed a heated confrontation with lawyers.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, November 2, 2026: In an unusual show of dissent within the police force, around 80–100 Delhi Police personnel, including women officers, gathered outside the force’s headquarters on Jai Singh Road on Monday morning, demanding the reinstatement of ACP Manasvi Vashistha and Shahdara SHO Inspector Arun Kumar. The two officers were transferred following a confrontation between police personnel and lawyers at Shahdara police station last month.
The protest began around 8 am near Gate No. 1 of the Delhi Police Headquarters (PHQ), with personnel holding placards and posters in support of the transferred officers. The gathering marked a rare instance of serving police personnel publicly demonstrating against decisions taken by their own department.
Senior officers, including DCP (New Delhi) Sachin Sharma, reached the spot and appealed to the protesters to disperse. They reminded the personnel of the discipline expected of members of the force and cautioned them against behaving like ordinary protesters. However, the gathering initially refused to move inside for discussions, insisting on a formal interaction, or a ‘Sampark Sabha’, with Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar.
Addressing the gathering, ACP Vashistha said the officers had stood up against individuals who were allegedly misusing their influence and intimidating police personnel.
“Some people are indulging in thuggery in disguise, who are not only enemies of us but of the entire society. We have stood against them, because if police stations themselves are not safe, then no place can remain safe,” he said.
Vashistha maintained that the protest was not directed against the legal fraternity as a whole but against those allegedly misusing their position and influence. The personnel wanted an open discussion with the Commissioner on the circumstances surrounding the Shahdara incident, the subsequent transfers and the need for a standard operating procedure (SOP) to deal with similar confrontations in the future.
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What triggered the confrontation?
The protest has its origins in a confrontation at Shahdara police station on October 23, when advocate Lalit Bansal allegedly suffered a serious head injury during a scuffle linked to an earlier dispute. Reports have referred to a parking or motorcycle-related disagreement as the trigger.
An FIR was registered following a complaint by advocate Amulya Ratan. Lawyers who visited the police station that evening sought the arrest of the accused and claimed that the police had assured them that action would be taken.
The following day, October 24, a group of advocates returned to the police station, alleging that the accused had not been arrested and had instead been released.
According to the Coordination Committee of All District Courts Bar Associations of Delhi, ACP Vashistha, who was then posted as Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Gandhi Nagar, Shahdara, displayed his service weapon and threatened the lawyers present.
The lawyers demanded the suspension of Vashistha, SHO Arun Kumar and other personnel pending an inquiry. They subsequently launched an indefinite strike, disrupting judicial work across Delhi’s district courts.
The police, however, have a sharply different account of the incident.
An FIR was registered on Vashistha’s complaint against 15–20 lawyers for allegedly creating a disturbance inside the SHO’s office, misbehaving with police personnel, obstructing official work and attempting to physically pull the SHO.
Police sources have maintained that CCTV footage supports their version of events and that the allegation of Vashistha brandishing his revolver is false and unsupported by evidence. They have accused the lawyers involved of high-handed behaviour that endangered officers on duty.
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Nupur ma’am have spoken to the copsDelhi Police ACP, Around 20 Personnel Protest Outside Police Headquarters
An unusual protest has taken place outside Delhi Police Headquarters, where Shahdara ACP Manasvi Vashisht and around 20 police personnel have arrived to protest.
The development follows a disturbance at Shahdara police station, where lawyers were allegedly seen misbehaving with the SHO and ACP. A viral video showed the ACP speaking to lawyers while holding his service pistol, triggering further uproar.
Following the incident, senior officers transferred both the Shahdara ACP and the SHO. The protest is understood to be linked to these transfers.
@DelhiPolice @CPDelhi @DCPNewDelhi
— Atulkrishan (@iAtulKrishan1) November 2, 2026
Transfers trigger resentment within the force
Amid mounting pressure from the lawyers’ agitation and demands for disciplinary action, Delhi Police headquarters issued transfer orders on October 28.
Vashistha was transferred from his post as SDPO, Gandhi Nagar, to the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC). Inspector Arun Kumar was moved from Shahdara police station to the Delhi Police Security Unit.
The lawyers subsequently called off their strike following discussions involving police representatives, the Bar Council of Delhi and district bar associations. An understanding was reportedly reached that inquiries into the complaints would be completed within a stipulated period and efforts would continue to arrest the accused in the original assault case.
However, the transfers triggered discontent among sections of the police force, with several personnel viewing the action as a capitulation to pressure from the lawyers.
Messages circulated in internal WhatsApp groups urging personnel to assemble outside PHQ on November 2 in solidarity with the transferred officers and demand their reinstatement.
Ahead of the gathering, district DCPs and unit heads were reportedly instructed to discourage personnel from joining the protest.
Vashistha had also written to Commissioner Anurag Kumar seeking a ‘Sampark Sabha’-cum-open house on November 2. He wanted to discuss the October 23–24 developments, the subsequent transfer orders, recurring confrontations involving police personnel and lawyers in court-related matters, and a future course of action.
In a video message ahead of the gathering, he thanked colleagues for their support and emphasised the need for dialogue rather than confrontation.
