Delhi Police Personnel Protest Transfer of Two Officers
Delhi Police personnel staged a sit-in at headquarters demanding the reinstatement of two officers transferred after a violent confrontation with lawyers.
Approximately 100 Delhi Police personnel, including women officers, staged an unprecedented protest and sit-in at the force's headquarters on November 2, 2026. The officers demanded the reinstatement of Assistant Commissioner of Police Manasvi Vashistha and Station House Officer Inspector Arun Kumar, both of whom were transferred on October 28.
The transfers followed an October 23 scuffle at the Shahdara police station that left advocate Lalit Bansal with a head injury. While district court lawyers ended their strike following the transfers, police personnel alleged the moves were unjustified results of pressure from lawyers and would undermine force morale.
Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar convened an emergency meeting at the Adarsh Auditorium to address the grievances. During the talks, ACP Vashistha demanded that cases against lawyers remain active and that no disciplinary action be taken against protesting officers. The first round of discussions ended without a breakthrough, leading protesters to walk out of the auditorium.
Opposition and youth leaders criticized the event, highlighting a disparity between the force's treatment of its own personnel and its use of lathis and detention camps against public demonstrators. Members of the Trinamool Congress and CPI(ML) Liberation questioned whether the protesting officers would face the same legal repercussions and prohibitory orders typically enforced against the public.
