A dramatic 24-hour standoff between the Delhi Police and Himachal Pradesh Police ended early Thursday morning after a Shimla court granted transit remand to three Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers.
The three accused — Saurabh Singh and Arbaaz Khan from Uttar Pradesh, and Siddharth Avdhoot from Madhya Pradesh — were arrested in connection with a “shirtless protest” during the AI Impact Summit held last week in Delhi.
Delhi Police officials left Shimla around 5:55 am with the accused after prolonged legal proceedings that continued past midnight.
What Triggered the Delhi–Shimla Police Dispute?
The controversy began when Delhi Police arrested the three Youth Congress workers from Rohru in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla district at approximately 5:30 am on Wednesday.
According to officials, the Himachal Pradesh Police intercepted the Delhi Police team at Dharampur in Solan district after receiving information about the operation. State authorities alleged that mandatory inter-state arrest protocols were not followed, including failure to inform local police and obtain prior transit remand.
The accused and around 15–20 Delhi Police personnel were detained for several hours. Shimla Police also reportedly seized vehicles belonging to Delhi Police’s Special Cell.
Kidnapping Case Filed Against Delhi Police Personnel
The situation escalated when Shimla Police registered a case against Delhi Police personnel at Chirgaon police station in Rohru. The FIR included charges under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including unlawful assembly, wrongful confinement, house trespass, theft, and kidnapping.
According to a Shimla Police statement, around 15 to 20 individuals in plain clothes allegedly arrived at a resort in Chirgaon and forcibly took away three individuals without informing local authorities.
A senior Himachal Pradesh Police official stated that the state police were neither informed nor consulted before the arrests were made.
Late-Night Court Proceedings
Tensions intensified when Delhi Police attempted to leave Shimla with the accused but were stopped at a police barrier on the outskirts of the city. Heated arguments followed, and both the accused and Delhi Police personnel were detained for several hours before being produced before a magistrate.
At around 1:00 am, the three accused were presented before ACJM-II Ekansh Kapil in Shimla. The court heard Delhi Police’s plea for transit remand and granted it after reviewing the case details.
Following the order, the Delhi Police team resumed its journey to the national capital, where the accused will be produced before a local magistrate as per due legal procedure.
Background: Protest at AI Impact Summit
The arrests relate to a protest staged at the AI Impact Summit exhibition hall in Delhi last Friday. The Youth Congress workers allegedly walked inside the venue holding T-shirts displaying slogans against the central government and the proposed India–US trade deal before being escorted out by security personnel.
The protest triggered a broader political and legal controversy, culminating in the inter-state police confrontation.
