Several Delhi Police personnel protested at the force’s headquarters in New Delhi on November 2 against the transfer of the Assistant Commissioner of Police and Station House Officer of Shahdara district, adding tension to an ongoing dispute between police personnel and lawyers.
The transfers followed protests by lawyers who accused the two officers of misbehaviour and alleged that the ACP had brandished his pistol during an altercation. The Times of India reported that the ACP whose transfer triggered the police demonstration was himself leading the protest at the headquarters.
The demonstration took place in two phases. Police personnel first gathered outside the Delhi Police Headquarters before staging a second protest within the premises. They expressed opposition to the departmental action against the two officers following the allegations made by lawyers.
A Deputy Commissioner of Police approached the protesting personnel and attempted to calm the situation. According to the report, the DCP urged them not to protest or behave like demonstrators, reminding them that they were members of the police force. The intervention did not persuade the personnel to end the demonstration.
Security arrangements around the headquarters were subsequently strengthened as tensions grew. Additional police personnel were deployed, particularly near Gate No. 1, to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident. Paramilitary personnel were also stationed in the area as a precautionary measure.
The episode places the management of internal police dissent alongside the wider question of how disputes involving police officers and lawyers are handled in the capital. The immediate trigger was the transfer of the Shahdara ACP and SHO, but the protest also showed resistance within the force to the departmental response following the lawyers’ allegations.
The incident has a recent institutional precedent. In November 2019, police personnel took to the streets after clashes between policemen and lawyers at Tis Hazari Court. That earlier demonstration was one of the last major instances of Delhi Police personnel publicly protesting in this manner.
The report did not specify the duration of the latest protest, whether the transfer orders would be reviewed, or what further departmental action would follow. Security personnel remained deployed around the headquarters as authorities worked to prevent the situation from escalating.
