Delhi Police personnel protest transfers of two officers
Officers gathered outside the Delhi Police headquarters to demand the reinstatement of an ACP and an inspector.
Around 80 to 100 police personnel, including women officers, gathered outside the Delhi Police headquarters on Monday morning to protest the transfer of two officers. According to reports from Deccan Chronicle, Bhaskar English, and India TV, the demonstrators held placards and raised slogans to demand that Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Manasvi Vashistha and Shahdara Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Arun Kumar be returned to their original posts.
The transfers followed a confrontation at the Shahdara police station on October 23, during which an advocate, Lalit Bansal, allegedly sustained a serious head injury. Following the incident, district court lawyers launched an indefinite strike and demanded action against the officers. On October 28, the Delhi Police transferred Vashistha, who had served as the sub-divisional police officer in Gandhi Nagar, to the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC), while Inspector Kumar was moved to the security unit.
Protesting personnel alleged that the transfers were unjustified and would lower police morale. They also claimed they faced misbehaviour and threats from lawyers. ACP Vashistha described the demonstration as an "organic call" and released a video appealing for support, stating that those unable to attend in person could join via video conferencing.
Vashistha has requested an open discussion with the Delhi Police Commissioner to present the officers' views. While senior officers, including DCP (New Delhi) Sachin Sharma, attempted to persuade the personnel to disperse and enter the headquarters, the protesters remained outside. The lawyers called off their strike after the transfer orders were issued on October 28.