New Delhi, Nov 2 Around 150 Delhi Police personnel, including women officers, gathered outside the force’s headquarters on Monday to protest against the transfer of two officers following a confrontation between police and lawyers at Shahdara police station.
The protesting police personnel insisted that the two officers be reinstated to their previous postings.
A delegation of police met the Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar and submitted five demands, which included action against lawyers involved in the Shahdara incident, and registration of FIRs against lawyers who indulge in “hooliganism”.
In a statement, Delhi police said the commissioner assured the protesting personnel of prompt and appropriate action to reinforce the morale of the force.
The protest brought back memories of a similar demonstration in 2019, when over 2,000 police personnel and their family members had gathered outside the headquarters following attacks on policemen by lawyers, including an incident linked to a parking dispute at Tis Hazari Court. The protest was called off after senior officers assured them of legal and medical assistance to affected personnel.
Holding placards and posters, the protesting personnel raised slogans of “vardi ka apmaan nahi sahenge” (we will not tolerate insult to the uniform) and demanded the reinstatement of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Manasvi Vashistha and Shahdara Station House Officer (SHO), Inspector Arun Kumar, to their previous postings.
Tense moments unfolded outside Gate No. 1 of the police headquarters as senior officers, including New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sachin Sharma, reached the spot and tried to persuade the protesting personnel to call off their demonstration.
Sharma, who was seen speaking to Vashistha, asked some personnel to accompany him inside the headquarters, but they refused, demanding a “Sampark Sabha” with the police commissioner.
The protest call had been circulated through Delhi Police WhatsApp groups, urging personnel to assemble outside the headquarters in support of the transferred officers. District DCPs and unit heads had reportedly been asked to ensure that their staff did not participate in the demonstration.
Speaking to reporters, Vashistha said the protest was an “organic call” initiated by police personnel and that she was joining it.
“We have requested the senior officers to provide us with a platform to present our views and have also submitted a formal application in this regard. We are confident that the senior officers will give us an opportunity to put forward our views. We will speak openly, and a solution to this matter will certainly emerge,” she said.
“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,” she said, adding that if police stations themselves were not safe, no place could be safe.
Following the protest, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar held a “Sampark Sabha” at the headquarters, where he, along with special commissioners and other senior officers, interacted with the cops and heard their grievances.
A small delegation of around seven personnel, led by Vashistha, also met the commissioner after the interaction to put forward their demands.
“We have placed our demands before the police commissioner. He provided us with the meeting that we had requested. However, as we had expected, not many people got the opportunity to speak openly. Nevertheless, we have conveyed our demands to him, and they are being discussed. Some matters need to be resolved today. We had a total of five demands,” Vashistha said after the meeting.
Among the demands raised by the personnel were the deployment of a resistance force at court premises to maintain law and order and prevent chaos, registration of FIRs if more than five lawyers enter a police station and indulge in hooliganism, and action against lawyers who allegedly misbehave with or threaten police personnel even outside police stations.
They also demanded that the police commissioner ensure cancellation of the licences of lawyers found involved in such incidents and that a chargesheet be filed in the FIR registered against lawyers in connection with the Shahdara police station incident.
A woman police officer at the protest questioned the alleged pressure being exerted on police personnel by lawyers, saying the force was expected to maintain discipline but the same should apply to others as well.
“We will always stay in discipline, but the person in front should also be in discipline. Are we here just to facilitate lawyers? They want VVIP treatment and want to bypass investigation. They put pressure on us through strikes. Why are we getting threats even when we are doing things according to procedure?” she said.
In a statement following the Sampark Sabha, Delhi Police said the commissioner and senior officers had patiently heard the grievances and concerns raised by personnel of various ranks.
The personnel highlighted issues concerning the dignity of the police force, respect for the uniform and the need for a structured mechanism to address their grievances, it said.
“The CP appreciated the professionalism, commitment and discipline demonstrated by the force, particularly the exemplary discharge of law and order duties and successful conduct of the BRICS Summit,” the statement said.
The commissioner assured them that prompt and appropriate action would be taken to address their genuine concerns systematically and reinforce the morale of the force, it added.
Delhi Police also said that a meeting with representatives of various Bar Associations and the Bar Council of Delhi had resulted in a decision to constitute a Joint Coordination Committee at the district and Police Headquarters levels to address issues arising during the discharge of official duties by police personnel.
Matters relating to promotions, Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP), housing and other service-related issues would also receive due attention, the statement said.
All district and unit heads have been directed to hold regular Sampark Sabhas, interact directly with personnel across ranks and initiate time-bound remedial action to address their grievances, it added.
The developments come ahead of an interaction programme scheduled by Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu with Delhi Police personnel on Tuesday at Utsav Sadan, Kingsway Camp. The programme, scheduled for 4 pm, will include personnel from the ranks of constable to inspector.
The controversy stems from an October 23 incident at Shahdara police station, where advocate Lalit Bansal allegedly sustained a serious head injury during a scuffle. It was followed by a confrontation between lawyers and police personnel at the police station, prompting district court lawyers to launch an indefinite strike, which was later called off.
Delhi Police had on October 28 transferred Vashistha, who was posted as the sub-divisional police officer in Gandhi Nagar, to the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC). Inspector Arun Kumar, the then SHO of Shahdara police station, was transferred to the security unit.
The transfers came amid demands by lawyers for action against police officers allegedly responsible for the assault on Bansal and the subsequent confrontation at the police station.
Earlier, on October 30, Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar had chaired a meeting with representatives of the Bar Council of Delhi and district court bar associations, following which it was decided to establish a joint coordination and grievance redressal mechanism.
(PTI News)
