ACP Manasvi Vashishta Suspended After Delhi Police Personnel’s Protest Outside Police Headquarters

New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has reportedly suspended ACP Manasvi Vashishta with immediate effect following Monday’s protest by Delhi Police personnel outside Police Headquarters (PHQ), in a major development in the ongoing dispute between lawyers and police personnel in Shahdara.

According to official police sources, the Ministry took a serious view of the protest, reportedly led by Vashishta, and considered it a violation of discipline within the force.

Hundreds of police personnel gathered outside PHQ on Monday, openly expressing their opposition to the transfer of two officers following the Shahdara police station incident. Despite repeated appeals by senior officers, the protesters reportedly refused to disperse initially.

Sources said that the Ministry was also unhappy with Vashishta’s forceful speech at PHQ, reportedly believing that such remarks could further aggravate tensions between the police and lawyers. The officials maintained that disagreements between the two sides should be resolved within the framework of discipline rather than through public protests.

According to officials, the police force is responsible for maintaining law and order, and that personnel taking to the streets to protest against their own department’s decisions could damage the force’s image and undermine discipline.

Background of the Shahdara Dispute

The controversy began following an incident at Shahdara police station on October 23, during which advocate Lalit Bansal sustained a serious head injury. Lawyers alleged that when advocates approached the police station seeking action in the matter, ACP Manasvi Vashishta threatened them by displaying her service revolver.

In protest, lawyers across Delhi’s district courts launched an indefinite strike.

On October 28, ACP Vashishta was transferred from the Gandhi Nagar subdivision to the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC), while Shahdara SHO Arun Kumar was transferred to the Security Unit. Following the transfers, the lawyers called off their strike.

However, the transfers triggered resentment among sections of the Delhi Police force. An appeal was subsequently made for police personnel to assemble outside PHQ on Monday, November 2, demanding action against lawyers and the reinstatement of both officers at their previous postings.

Police personnel began gathering outside the headquarters in the morning, leading to a high-voltage standoff that continued for several hours. The situation eased after meetings with senior police officers.

The reported suspension of ACP Vashishta late Monday night marks a significant escalation in the controversy, which has exposed tensions within the force following the dispute with lawyers.