Govind Tekale
Lawyers in Delhi's Shahdara district called off a strike on 28 October after Delhi Police transferred the assistant commissioner of police (ACP) and the station house officer (SHO) at the centre of their complaints. The dispute began with an assault case, and the two sides now give conflicting accounts.
A report dated 29 October 2026 says Delhi Police transferred Assistant Commissioner of Police Manasvi Vashishta and Shahdara police station SHO Inspector Arun Kumar. The strike had begun on Tuesday, 27 October. Lawyers said an advocate was reportedly assaulted on 23 October and that officers had promised arrests, but the suspects had not been detained. Under the agreement, an inquiry into complaints by Shahdara bar members against police personnel is due within two months. The investigation into the case against advocates must be finished within seven days. A planned march from Patiala House to Delhi Police Headquarters was called off.
The two sides give different accounts of what happened when lawyers returned on 24 October to ask about the case. Lawyers allege that the ACP displayed his revolver and threatened those present. Police say lawyers abused and menaced on-duty personnel, and an FIR was registered against advocates on that basis. The report says both claims are under investigation, and it does not report a police response to the revolver allegation.
The agreement also requires police to arrest the accused in FIR No. 248/2026 promptly. If they do not, the lawyers' committee would seek non-bailable warrants and a Look-Out Circular. A transfer moves an officer to another post. The reports describe a transfer only.
The outcome of the inquiry, due within two months, will show more than the transfer did. Watch for it on the due date, because it is the first formal test of the complaints against police personnel.
What happens after a police transfer? A transfer moves an officer to a different post. It does not by itself mean discipline, and a suspension is a separate step. The reports describe a transfer only, so this article does not describe any suspension.
The strike has ended, but the dispute is still open. Watch three things: the inquiry into police conduct, the investigation into the case against advocates, and the arrests in FIR No. 248/2026. For how police postings are handled, read our Delhi Police rank structure guide.
