SHIMLA, Feb 26: An extraordinary face off between Delhi Police and Himachal Pradesh Police continued into the early hours of Thursday, hours after an Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate granted transit remand for three Youth Congress activists arrested over the February 20 protest at the AI Summit in the national capital.
Tensions flared after Himachal Police registered a kidnapping case against members of the Delhi Police team and stopped their convoy at multiple points while they were transporting the accused to New Delhi. The three activists were first taken for medical examination at Deendayal Upadhyay Zonal Hospital in Shimla before being produced at around 1.30 am at the residence of ACJM-II Ekansh Kapil, who approved their transfer.
Despite the court’s order, the convoy was halted again at Kanlog early Thursday. Local authorities directed that only part of the team proceed with the accused, while others remain behind to assist in the abduction probe. They also sought access to digital material allegedly collected during the arrest operation in Rohru.
Delhi Police maintained that they had secured 18 hours of transit remand and were responsible for the detainees’ safety. Officers declined to surrender keys to a vehicle said to contain CCTV footage, documentation and official equipment, asserting that all relevant records had been shown before the magistrate.
The confrontation began after Delhi Police picked up the three activists from a hotel in Chirgaon area of Rohru subdivision. Local officers intercepted them and brought them back to Shimla, questioning the legality of the arrest and alleging lack of prior intimation.
Himachal authorities stated that 15–20 unidentified individuals in plain clothes forcibly removed the trio from a resort and took away surveillance equipment without issuing a receipt, prompting the registration of an abduction case. Delhi Police countered that the arrests were linked to an FIR registered on February 20 in connection with the protest and that legal formalities had been completed.
The standoff at the Shoghi border, about 15 km from Shimla, caused traffic disruption as both sides accused each other of obstructing due process. Lawyers representing the activists argued that procedures were not followed and opposed the transit request, while counsel for Delhi Police said the court had duly sanctioned it.
The controversy stems from the shirtless demonstration at Bharat Mandapam during the AI Impact Summit, which led to charges under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. So far, 11 individuals have been held in the case, including Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib and former national spokesperson Bhudev Sharma.
Political reactions also surfaced, with Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur criticising the state government’s handling of the matter, while Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu described earlier police action in Delhi as contrary to established procedure.
Both police forces refrained from detailed public comment as the situation unfolded.