Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Manasvi Vashishta, a DANIPS officer, has been placed under suspension for “violation of discipline” a day after he led a demonstration by Delhi Police personnel outside the force’s headquarters. The action, reported on Tuesday (November 3, 2026), follows an October confrontation with lawyers at Shahdara police station that led to the transfers of Vashishta and another officer.
Background of the Shahdara Incident
The sequence began on October 23, 2026, at Shahdara police station. Advocate Lalit Bansal allegedly sustained a serious head injury during a scuffle. Advocate Amulya Ratan was the complainant in the related case. Lawyers who visited the station seeking action against those accused in the assault alleged that ACP Vashishta (then Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Gandhi Nagar) and Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Arun Kumar threatened them. They specifically claimed that Vashishta displayed or brandished his service revolver.
The Coordination Committee of All District Courts Bar Associations of Delhi called an indefinite strike, demanding action against the officers. On October 28, Delhi Police transferred Vashishta from the Gandhi Nagar subdivision to the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC) and moved Arun Kumar from Shahdara police station to the Security Branch. Lawyers then called off their strike.
The Protest at Police Headquarters
Discontent among sections of the force over the transfers prompted a gathering on Monday, November 2, 2026. From around 8 a.m., roughly 80 to 150 police personnel (including women officers; some reports cite higher numbers later) assembled outside Gate No. 1 of the Delhi Police Headquarters on Jai Singh Road. They carried placards and posters and raised slogans including “Bharat Mata Ki Jai,” “Police Ekta Zindabad,” and “Vardi Ka Apmaan Nahi Sahenge.”
Vashishta, who joined and addressed the gathering, stated that the personnel wanted a meeting with Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar and a standard operating procedure (SOP) for handling such matters. He was quoted as saying: “Our demands are clear. We need to meet CP sir. There needs to be an SOP to deal with such matters. If this happens to us, how will we fight to save the people of the city.”
Protesters also sought reinstatement of the two officers to their previous postings. Additional demands reported included limiting the number of lawyers entering a police station at one time, registering FIRs against lawyers for alleged misconduct toward police personnel, a dedicated cell at headquarters to handle complaints involving lawyers, and deployment of personnel at court complexes. Senior officers, including a Deputy Commissioner of Police, attempted to persuade the group to disperse. Commissioner Anurag Kumar and other seniors later met the personnel (numbers reportedly swelled for the interaction), heard their concerns, and, according to some accounts, discussed formation of a coordination mechanism with bar associations. The protest evoked comparisons with a larger 2019 demonstration outside the same headquarters after lawyer-police clashes at Tis Hazari Court.
Suspension
On Tuesday, November 3, Delhi Police sources confirmed that ACP Vashishta had been placed under suspension for “violation of discipline,” linked to his role in leading and addressing the demonstration. Several reports attribute the action to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). No immediate official statement from Delhi Police or the MHA was available in the initial coverage. Vashishta is described as a DANIPS cadre officer (some reports note a 2022 batch and Rajasthan origin, with an IIT Kharagpur background).
The episode has highlighted ongoing frictions between police personnel and the legal community in Delhi, particularly over handling of incidents involving advocates at police stations and courts. The story remained developing as of the morning reports on November 3, 2026, with further details on the precise suspension order and any broader administrative response still awaited.
