AI Summit protest: Ugly standoff between Delhi & Shimla police after arrest of 3 Youth Congress activists

In an ugly face-off, Himachal Pradesh police on Wednesday registered a kidnapping case against Delhi police personnel and "detained" their vehicles at the Shogi border near Shimla when they were heading back to the national capital with three Youth Congress members arrested in connection with the "shirtless protest" at the AI Summit.

"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," a statement issued by the Shimla police said.

The Delhi police had earlier on Wednesday said it had arrested three Youth Congress activists in connection with the February 20 protest at AI Impact Summit from a hotel in the Chirgaon area of Rohru subdivision of Himachal's Shimla district.

Saurabh, Siddharth and Arbaz were apprehended by the Special Cell of Delhi Police. They were produced before a local court, which granted transit remand to enable the police to bring them to Delhi for further questioning, an official of the Delhi police said in the national capital.

Himachal Police sources claimed they intercepted three vehicles in Shimla and Solan districts and brought them back to Shimla as the Delhi police had not taken transit remand. Both sides accused each other of hampering the investigation.

The sources in Himachal Pradesh police claimed the team from Delhi carried out the operation in Shimla without informing the local police. Acting on this, Himachal Pradesh police intercepted three vehicles carrying the accused — who are reportedly not residents of Himachal Pradesh — and Delhi Police personnel.

Two vehicles were stopped in Shimla, while the third was intercepted near Dharampur in Solan district. Around 20 people, including police personnel, were detained, the source said.

The Delhi police personnel again tried to leave for the national capital but were intercepted at Shogi border on Wednesday night on the road to Chandigarh and not allowed to leave.

In a video that appeared from the Shogi border, the Delhi police officers were heard saying that they had arrested three people in the morning in connection with an FIR registered on February 20.

"We have to produce the accused arrested at 5 am today in the court in 24 hours, and you have stopped us after registering an FIR at 8 pm," an officer of the Delhi police said.

However, the Shimla police officers maintained that a case of abduction has been registered and the Delhi police is hampering the investigation. They alleged that the Delhi police carried out an operation at Rohru without informing the local police and no papers of arrest were shown.

"I asked you for a legal document in the morning, but neither have you shown any document nor the FIR number and nor have you taken the transit remand," the officer of Shimla police is heard saying.

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

Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib and former national spokesperson Bhudev Sharma were arrested in connection with the case on Tuesday. Both were 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.

Earlier, on Saturday midnight, Delhi Police raided Himachal Sadan in the national capital amid reports that Youth Congress workers who participated in the protest were provided accommodation there. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu termed the action "unfortunate and against constitutional procedure".

A Delhi court on Wednesday extended by four days the police custody of five of the arrested in the case.

Arguing that the incident was not spontaneous but executed after prior planning, Delhi police said the initial probe revealed structured allocation of roles, concealment tactics and coordinated post-incident movement. However, it said the entire conspiracy, including its hierarchy, funding and inter-state coordination, needed to be unearthed.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Mridul Gupta extended the custodial interrogation of the accused — Krishna Hari, Kundan Yadav, Ajay Kumar Singh and Narasimha Yadav.

Meanwhile, the Delhi police on Wednesday denied permission to the Delhi Youth Congress to hold a dharna at Jantar Mantar on February 26, citing short notice and law and order concerns. The Delhi Youth Congress had called the protest against police action on IYC members who participated in the February 20 protest.