Delhi Police personnel protest against transfers of ACP, SHO after Shahdara police station scuffle

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Delhi Police personnel stage a protest outside the police headquarters on Monday (November 2, 2026), demanding the reinstatement of ACP Manasvi Vashistha and Shahdara SHO Inspector Arun Kumar, who were transferred after an advocate allegedly suffered a head injury in a scuffle at the police station. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Delhi Police personnel gathered outside the police headquarters on Monday (November 2, 2026) morning to protest against the transfers of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Manasvi Vashistha and Shahdara Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Arun Kumar, demanding that the two officers be reinstated to their previous postings. Around 100 police personnel, including women officers, were seen protesting holding placards and posters.

The transfers were ordered on October 28, 2026 following a scuffle at Shahdara police station on October 23, 2026, in which an advocate allegedly sustained a head injury. The incident triggered an indefinite strike by district court lawyers, who demanded action against the accused.

According to the lawyers, they were initially assured that the accused would be arrested but were informed the following day that the accused had been released without action being taken. They also alleged that, during a meeting with senior police officers, one of the officers brandished a loaded revolver and threatened them. Senior officials aware of the matter said the allegations were false and there was no evidence to support them.

Vashistha was transferred from the post of Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Gandhi Nagar in the Shahdara subdivision to the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC), while Kumar was moved from Shahdara police station to the Delhi Police Security Branch. The lawyers called off their strike after the transfer orders were issued.

The police personnel assembled on the road outside the headquarters around 8 a.m. on Monday, seeking a meeting with the Police Commissioner and an interactive session to raise their concerns over the transfers.

Senior officers, including New Delhi DCP Sachin Sharma, were seen trying to persuade the protesters to take up their grievances with the Police Commissioner inside the headquarters rather than stage a roadside demonstration.

Earlier on October 30, 2026, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar chaired a meeting with representatives from the Bar Council of Delhi and district court bar associations in which they agreed to set up a joint coordination and grievance redressal mechanism.

A similar protest was staged in 2019, when more than 2,000 police personnel and their family members gathered outside the headquarters following a series of attacks on policemen by lawyers, including an incident linked to a parking dispute at Tis Hazari Court.

The protest ended after senior officers assured the personnel that a review petition would be filed in court, medical assistance provided to the injured and an ex-gratia payment of ₹25,000 made to them.

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