Cop Vs Cop In Delhi: Angered Police Officers Block Headquarters Gate In Standoff Over Officer Transfers

Delhi Police personnel staged a demonstration outside the Police Headquarters on Monday, protesting against the transfer of two senior officers following a clash with lawyers in Shahdara.

The dramatic cops-versus-cops confrontation saw protesting police personnel stopped at the main gate of the headquarters by their own colleagues deployed on security duty.

Tensions Outside Police Headquarters

The protest broke out after the Delhi Police administration ordered the transfer of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Manasvi Vasishta and Inspector Arun Kumar, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Shahdara police station. The action triggered widespread anger across various cadres, prompting personnel, including officers from the New Delhi district, to assemble outside the headquarters building.

The scene of the protest turned tense when Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Sachin Sharma attempted to persuade the protesting personnel to clear the gate and take their grievances inside for formal discussions with senior officials.

"I am requesting you again and again to go inside. Whatever discussion can be done will happen inside, and any solution that comes out will come out inside only," DCP Sharma told the protesting officers, reminding them of an earlier agreement to hold talks indoors. Transferred ACP Vasishta was also seen engaging in a direct verbal exchange with DCP Sharma outside the premises.

Scuffle At Shahdara Triggered Crisis

The unrest stems from an October 23 incident at Shahdara police station, where a severe confrontation erupted between local advocates and police staff. During the scuffle, Advocate Lalit Bansal sustained a serious head injury.

Following the injury, local lawyers gathered at the police station, accusing police officers of misbehaving with and threatening members of the bar. The Coordination Committee of All District Court Bar Associations in Delhi subsequently announced an indefinite strike, bringing work across all district courts to a standstill.

Transfer Orders Spark Discontent

To resolve the impasse and persuade the striking lawyers to resume work, police authorities ordered the immediate transfers of ACP Vasishta and Inspector Kumar. Following the administration's assurance that cross-complaints and FIRs filed by the Shahdara Bar Association would be investigated over a two-month period, the lawyers called off their multi-day strike.

However, the decision backfired within the police department. Rank-and-file officers expressed outrage over what they viewed as punitive action taken against their colleagues under pressure from advocate bodies.

Prior to joining the demonstration outside headquarters, ACP Vasishta sent a formal letter to Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar requesting an open house session to address the force's grievances regarding the transfer orders. Senior officers continue efforts to mediate and restore discipline within the ranks.