Himachal–Delhi Police standoff heightens tensions over Youth Congress AI summit protest arrests

The high-voltage standoff between the Himachal Pradesh Police and a 20-member Delhi Police team stretched into the early hours of Thursday, even after an Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) granted transit remand for three Youth Congress activists arrested in connection with the 'shirtless protest' at the AI Summit in New Delhi.

On Wednesday, the Himachal Pradesh Police registered a kidnapping case against the Delhi Police personnel and 'detained' their vehicles at the Shoghi border near Shimla while the team was escorting the three accused to the national capital.

Following medical examinations at the Deendayal Upadhyay Zonal Hospital in Shimla late Wednesday night, the three Youth Congress activists and the Delhi Police personnel were taken to the residence of ACJM-II Ekansh Kapil at around 1.30 am, where transit remand was granted. The team then resumed its journey.

However, the Delhi Police convoy was stopped again early on Thursday at Kanlog. The team was directed to proceed to New Delhi with the accused, accompanied by a few additional police personnel, while the remaining members were asked to stay back and cooperate with the investigation into the kidnapping case registered against them.

The Shimla police also sought custody of any digital evidence allegedly collected by the Delhi Police at the time the activists were picked up from Rohru.

Delhi Police officials, however, maintained that the safety of the three accused was their responsibility and insisted that none of their personnel would be left behind. The convoy later continued its movement towards Shoghi amid continuing tensions. At the Shoghi border, however, the Delhi team was detained yet again by the Shimla police at 4 am.

Speaking to the media earlier, advocate for the accused, Sandeep Dutta, stated that the arrest was illegal because the proper procedures were not followed. He opposed the transit remand on the grounds of illegal detention and the lack of proper documentation.

Advocate Nand Lal, representing the Delhi Police, stated that the transit remand application was presented and approved.

The conflict began on Wednesday morning when members of the Delhi Police arrested the three Youth Congress activists, linked to the February 20 protest at the AI Impact Summit, from a hotel in the Chirgaon area of Rohru subdivision in Shimla district. They were intercepted by local police and brought back to Shimla.

Three police vehicles ferrying the accused- Saurabh, Siddharth and Arbaz- who are allegedly not residents of the state, were intercepted in Shimla and Solan district and subsequently produced before a local court.

On Wednesday evening, when the Delhi Police attempted once more to transport the accused to New Delhi, they were stopped again at the Shoghi border, approximately 15 km from Shimla. This situation created inconvenience for commuters due to the standoff between the two police teams. "A case has been registered against 15-20 unknown people in plain clothes for forcibly taking three people staying in a resort in Rohru. They also took the CCTV installed in the resort with them and did not give any receipt," the Shimla police said in a statement.

While the Delhi Police asserted that they had obtained the necessary transit remand, the Himachal Police claimed that no documentation was presented and deemed the operation illegal, alleging a procedural lapse in not notifying the local police before making an arrest. Both the Shimla and Delhi police accused one another of obstructing the investigation.

In a statement issued in Shimla, Leader of Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jai Ram Thakur said, "It is shameful to provide protection in Himachal Pradesh to individuals from outside Himachal Pradesh who have attempted to tarnish the country's image internationally."

Thakur accused Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu of engaging in 'politics of anarchy' to win favour with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, claiming the Himachal Pradesh Police should have cooperated with the Delhi Police in this interstate operation, but instead attempted to detain them.

The "shirtless protest" at Bharat Mandapam on February 20 prompted a significant security response, with police earlier invoking charges including rioting and promoting enmity under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president, Uday Bhanu Chib, and former national spokesperson, Bhudev Sharma, were arrested in connection with the case on Tuesday. Both were subsequently produced before a Delhi court and remanded to police custody for interrogation. According to the Delhi Police, a total of 11 people have been arrested so far.

(With PTI inputs)