Delhi Police Officer Suspended After Leading Protest Amid Rift With Lawyers

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) A senior Delhi Police officer was suspended on Tuesday, a day after he led a rare protest involving 150 police personnel outside the force's headquarters following a face-off with lawyers over a minor parking dispute.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Manasvi Vashistha staged a protest with police personnel, including women officers, outside Delhi Police Headquarters on Monday, demanding the revocation of transfer orders against him and another officer following a scuffle between lawyers and police personnel at Delhi's Shahdara police station last month.

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The protest came after lawyers across Delhi's district courts called an indefinite strike, demanding action against the two officers over allegations of misconduct and threats against advocates.

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The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) placed Vashistha under suspension with immediate effect in an order issued on Monday evening. The development became public on Tuesday.

The order stated: "WHEREAS, departmental proceedings against Manasvi Vashistha...are contemplated; NOW THEREFORE, the Competent Authority... hereby places Manasvi Vashistha...under suspension with immediate effect,”

It did not specify the grounds for the proposed departmental proceedings.

How it started

The incident began with a parking dispute outside a salon in northeast Delhi on October 23. Salon owner Sheetal Thakur and her husband, Rahul, alleged that a motorcycle belonging to a relative of a lawyer, which was parked outside their establishment, was blocking its entrance.

An argument reportedly broke out when they asked the biker to move the vehicle. Sheetal's family later alleged that a group of lawyers returned to the salon, vandalised the premises and assaulted her. Sheetal was eight months pregnant at the time, according to her family.

The family approached the police station to lodge a complaint when a larger group of lawyers arrived and allegedly threatened them, leading to a violent scuffle. Advocate Lalit Bansal sustained a serious head injury, prompting fellow lawyers to demand action against those accused.

The lawyers alleged that Vashistha and Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Arun Kumar had assured them that the accused would be arrested. However, they later learnt that the accused had reportedly been released. The lawyers also accused the officers of accepting a bribe to release the accused, according to the police complaint.

In his complaint, Vashistha alleged that a group of 15-20 lawyers entered Inspector Kumar's room, abused and threatened police officers and obstructed them from performing their duties.

A separate case was registered against lawyers over alleged misbehaviour with police personnel on duty.

Lawyers call strike, police transferred

The Coordination Committee of All District Court Bar Associations in Delhi announced an indefinite strike, demanding action against Vashistha and the other officer. The police administration subsequently transferred both officers.

Vashistha was moved from the Gandhi Nagar subdivision to the Special Police Unit for Women and Children, while Inspector Arun Kumar was transferred to the Security Unit.

The lawyers called off their strike after the transfers. The move, however, did not go down well with sections of the police force, with personnel questioning the decision to transfer their colleagues following the confrontation.

On Monday, around 150 police personnel, including women officers, gathered outside Delhi Police Headquarters, demanding the reinstatement of the two officers.

A police delegation met Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar and submitted five demands. These included action against lawyers allegedly involved in the incident, restrictions on the number of advocates entering police officers' offices at one time, and better security for police personnel inside courtrooms.

Vashistha defended the protest, saying police personnel needed to speak out against the intimidation and security concerns they faced at police stations.

"We have taken a stand because it is necessary to raise our voice against the hooliganism that the police are facing and the security problems arising inside police stations. Some people are engaging in hooliganism; they are not just our enemies but enemies of society as a whole," he said.

Repeat of 2019 police-lawyer confrontation

The latest face-off brings back memories of a similar confrontation between Delhi Police personnel and lawyers in 2019.

More than 2,000 police personnel and their family members had gathered outside Delhi Police headquarters to protest against attacks on police personnel by lawyers following a parking dispute at Tis Hazari court. At least 20 police personnel and several advocates were injured.

In a separate incident last week, lawyers at the Allahabad High Court allegedly disrupted court proceedings, assaulted government counsel and court staff, damaged courtroom property and attacked security personnel.

The High Court described the incident as an attack on the dignity of the judiciary and recommended criminal contempt proceedings against the lawyers involved.

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