New Delhi, Nov 3 From serving as the personal security officer (PSO) to former Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar to being at the centre of a police protest over his transfer, suspended Delhi Police Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Manasvi Vashistha has had a varied career spanning central armed police forces and several assignments in the national capital.
A 2019-batch officer of the Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Service (DANIPS), Vashistha was suspended by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on November 2, hours after more than 100 police personnel, including women officers, gathered outside the Police Headquarters to protest against his transfer and that of Shahdara station house officer (SHO) Inspector Arun Kumar.
Vashistha had earlier served as the PSO to Dhankhar until the latter resigned as Vice-President in 2025. He was also part of the Delhi Police Security Unit and was involved in security arrangements for the AI Summit and the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to sources.
An engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, Vashistha joined the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) in 2016. He served with the force for around four years, with postings in Jammu and Kashmir and Bihar, before joining DANIPS as part of the 2019-20 batch.
Born and brought up in Jaipur, Vashistha comes from a family of doctors. He studied mechanical engineering at IIT Kharagpur between 2009 and 2013.
Following his initial training and posting in Delhi, he was transferred to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 2022, where he served as Deputy Superintendent of Police in Diglipur and Havelock. He returned to Delhi in December 2024 and subsequently held various assignments in the Delhi Police.
In December 2025, he was posted as ACP, Gandhi Nagar, where he served for around three months. He was later assigned to the Delhi Police Security Unit before being posted again as ACP, Gandhi Nagar, in March 2026.
The sequence of events leading to Vashistha’s suspension started on October 23, when an advocate, Lalit Bansal, suffered a serious head injury during a confrontation between lawyers and police personnel at Shahdara police station over a parking issue.
An FIR was registered at the police station in connection with the incident.
According to the Coordination Committee of All District Courts Bar Associations of Delhi, several advocates had visited the police station on October 23 seeking action against those named in the case.
The committee claimed that the ACP Vashistha and SHO Kumar assured them that the accused, who were present at the police station, would be arrested.
The lawyers subsequently learnt that the accused had not been arrested and had reportedly been released, prompting them to return to the police station and triggering another scuffle between lawyers and police personnel on October 24, according to the committee.
Subsequently, on October 28, the ACP and the SHO were transferred.
The transfers triggered a protest by police personnel outside the Police Headquarters on Monday, with the demonstrators demanding the reinstatement of the two officers.
The MHA, in its suspension order issued on November 2, said departmental proceedings against Vashistha were contemplated and placed him under suspension with immediate effect under Rule 10 of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965.
The ministry also directed that his headquarters would remain in Delhi and that he would not leave without prior permission from the competent authority.
Reacting to the suspension, Vashistha said it had not affected his courage or confidence and expressed faith in the departmental inquiry.
“I want to thank you all for giving a call for the Sampark Sabha. It was a fruitful discussion, and our problems will be resolved. Apart from this, I want to inform you that my suspension is true, but it has not reduced my courage and confidence in any manner. I feel that our focus, commitment and resolve should grow stronger every day,” he said.
“Suspension is not a wrong action; it is a departmental action. I believe 100 per cent that the system will do a fair inquiry and make a fair judgement,” he added.
A delegation of protesting personnel had also met Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar and submitted five demands, including action against lawyers involved in the Shahdara incident and registration of FIRs against lawyers who indulge in “hooliganism”.
On October 30, the police commissioner held a meeting with representatives of the Bar Council of Delhi and district court bar associations, following which a joint coordination and grievance redressal mechanism was proposed.
Vashistha is married and has two children.
(PTI News)
