Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Manasvi Vashistha, who led a demonstration by Delhi Police personnel against the transfer of two officers after a confrontation with lawyers in Shahdara, has been suspended by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The Ministry took action a day after the protest at Police Headquarters (PHQ).
The suspension order was issued on Monday evening, hours after Vashistha joined several police personnel in gathering outside the Delhi Police headquarters on Jai Singh Road, demanding the reinstatement of the transferred officers.
The MHA order suspended him with immediate effect under Rule 10 of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965. The department is contemplating departmental proceedings against him, although the order did not specify the grounds for initiating them.
According to the suspension order, Vashistha’s headquarters during the suspension period will remain Delhi, and he cannot leave the headquarters without prior permission from the competent authority. He will also be entitled to a subsistence allowance as prescribed under service rules.
The action follows Monday’s gathering, in which around 100 police personnel initially assembled outside Gate No. 1 of the headquarters.
The gathering subsequently grew, with reports putting the number of participating personnel at around 500. The protesters demanded that Vashistha and Inspector Arun Kumar, the former Station House Officer (SHO) of Shahdara police station, be reinstated to their previous postings.
The demonstration followed the transfer of the two officers on October 28 after a confrontation between police personnel and lawyers at Shahdara police station on October 23. The incident involved advocate Lalit Bansal, who allegedly sustained a serious head injury during a scuffle inside the police station.
Following the incident, lawyers accused police personnel of assaulting and misbehaving with advocates. They also alleged that Vashistha had threatened them by displaying his service revolver when they approached the police station seeking action in the matter. The allegations prompted the Coordination Committee of All District Court Bar Associations of Delhi to announce an indefinite strike, with lawyers abstaining from judicial work across district courts.
The controversy also reached the Delhi High Court on Tuesday, where a group of lawyers sought suo motu intervention over Vashistha’s alleged conduct. However, the court declined to initiate proceedings based on the oral request and asked the advocates to file a formal petition supported by relevant material.
A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma said it would examine the matter once a petition was formally filed. The bench observed that the court, being a court of record, needed material before it to consider the allegations.
The lawyers told the court that remarks referring to the use of an AK-47 and describing advocates as “goons in black coats” had allegedly been made against members of the legal fraternity. Seeking the court’s intervention, one of the advocates urged the bench to take suo motu cognisance, saying such action would reassure the lawyers. The court, however, asked them to submit the available material through a petition before the registry.
The strike was called off on October 28 after the court issued the transfer orders. Vashistha, who was then posted as Sub-Divisional Police Officer in Gandhi Nagar, was transferred to the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC). At the same time, Arun Kumar was moved from Shahdara police station to the Security Unit.
However, the transfers triggered resentment among sections of the police force, with personnel questioning the action against their colleagues. On Monday, they gathered at the headquarters seeking an opportunity to present their concerns directly to Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar.
The protesters raised issues relating to the dignity of the police force, alleged pressure from lawyers during investigations, the security of personnel at police stations and court complexes, and the absence of an effective grievance-redressal mechanism. The police personnel also submitted a set of demands, including action against lawyers allegedly involved in the Shahdara incident and the reinstatement of the transferred officers.
Delhi Police, however, described Monday’s interaction as a ‘Sampark Sabha’ rather than a protest. In an official statement, the force said the Commissioner, accompanied by Special Commissioners and other senior officers, interacted with personnel from different ranks and heard their grievances.
Anurag Kumar assured them that the force would address genuine concerns through appropriate, time-bound action. He also directed district and unit heads to organise regular interaction meetings and ensure issues related to promotions, Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP), housing, and other service matters were addressed.