Delhi ACP Manasvi Vashishtha suspended after leading police protest
The suspension follows a demonstration outside the police headquarters against the transfer of two officers after a scuffle with lawyers.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Manasvi Vashishtha has been suspended after leading a protest by police personnel outside the Delhi Police Headquarters on Monday, according to police sources and reports by The Indian Express.
The demonstration was held to demand the reinstatement of ACP Vashishtha and Shahdara Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Arun Kumar to their previous postings. On Monday, between 150 and 500 personnel, including women officers, gathered to protest the transfers of the two officers.
The transfers followed an October 23 incident at the Shahdara police station involving a scuffle between police and lawyers. During the confrontation, advocate Lalit Bansal allegedly sustained a serious head injury. Lawyers alleged that ACP Vashishtha showed his revolver and threatened them, though Vashishtha denied these allegations.
Following the incident, district court lawyers launched an indefinite strike, which they called off on October 28 after the transfer orders were issued. Vashishtha was moved from Gandhi Nagar to the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC), while Inspector Arun Kumar was transferred to the security unit.
During the protest, a delegation met Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar to present five demands. These included taking action against lawyers involved in the Shahdara incident and addressing concerns regarding the safety of police personnel in courts and stations.
Delhi Police stated that the Commissioner assured protesting personnel that their concerns would be addressed promptly to maintain force morale. Vashishtha described the demonstration as an organic call to seek a formal mechanism for addressing such disputes.