NEW DELHI — Assistant Commissioner of Police Manasvi Vashishta was suspended on Tuesday for alleged violation of discipline, Delhi Police sources said, days after she led a protest by approximately 100 personnel outside the force’s headquarters.
The protest on Monday afternoon saw police personnel gather outside Gate No. 1 of Delhi Police headquarters, demanding a meeting with Commissioner Anurag Kumar and the reinstatement of two officials — ACP Vashishta and Shahdara station house officer Arun Kumar — following an October 23 altercation at Shahdara police station.
City lawyers had launched an indefinite strike, alleging that Mr. Vashishta and Mr. Arun Kumar had threatened advocates who went to the police station over the handling of an assault case involving advocate Lalit Bansal. The lawyers alleged the two officers had mistreated legal practitioners during the proceedings.
After nearly three hours, Mr. Anurag Kumar and other senior officers met the protesters and heard their demands, which included a standard operating procedure for handling confrontations involving lawyers, restricting the number of lawyers entering a police station to five at a time, and registering FIRs against lawyers allegedly involved in misconduct towards police personnel. The protesters also sought a dedicated cell at police headquarters to address complaints against lawyers and the deployment of police personnel in courts depending on size to deal with incidents of violence.
Mr. Vashishta, who was serving as Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Gandhi Nagar, was transferred to the Special Police Unit for Women and Children, while Mr. Arun Kumar was moved to the Security Branch. The lawyers called off their indefinite strike after the transfer orders were issued.
Delhi Police sources said the suspension of ACP Vashishta was linked to her participation in the protest, though official comment from the department remained pending.
The incident reflects ongoing tensions between Delhi’s police leadership and the city’s legal community over case handling and disciplinary measures.
