A dramatic 24-hour standoff between Delhi Police and Himachal Pradesh Police ended early Thursday after Delhi Police left Shimla with three Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers arrested in connection with last week's "shirtless protest" at the AI Impact Summit.
The confrontation followed a series of legal and procedural disputes after the arrests were carried out in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla district.
Protest at AI Summit triggers arrests
The controversy began after three IYC workers, Saurabh Singh and Arbaaz Khan from Uttar Pradesh, and Siddharth Avdhoot from Madhya Pradesh, staged a protest inside the AI Impact Summit exhibition hall in Delhi last Friday.
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The trio walked around holding t-shirts carrying slogans against the government and the India–US trade deal before security personnel escorted them out. Delhi Police later tracked and arrested the accused from Rohru in Shimla district at around 5.30 am on Wednesday.
Interception leads to legal standoff
While transporting the accused to Delhi, the Special Cell team was intercepted by Himachal Pradesh Police at Dharampur in Solan district. Authorities alleged that mandatory inter-state arrest procedures, including securing transit remand and informing local police, were not followed, reported Hindustan Times.
The Shimla Police detained the Delhi Police personnel, reportedly around 15 to 20 officers in plain clothes, along with the accused and seized their vehicle. Both teams were taken to Shimla for legal proceedings as tensions escalated.
A private complaint was filed by the Baluganj Police Station SHO alleging procedural lapses, intensifying the legal dispute between the two forces.
Case registered, remand granted
Late Wednesday night, Shimla Police registered a case under multiple Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections, including unlawful assembly, wrongful confinement and kidnapping.
"This morning, the Shimla police received information that around 15 to 20 persons, dressed in plain clothes, arrived in vehicles and forcibly took away three individuals/guests who were staying at a resort in Chirgaon," the police said in a statement, reported HT.
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"The Himachal Police were neither informed nor taken into confidence before the arrests were carried out," HT quoted a senior HP police official as saying.
After prolonged court proceedings, a transit remand was granted around 1 am, allowing Delhi Police to leave Shimla with the accused at approximately 5:55 am, bringing the high-voltage standoff to an end.
