- Himachal and Delhi police clashed over arrested Youth Congress workers on a highway
- Himachal police accused Delhi officers of forcibly removing the arrested from a resort
- Himachal Police filed an FIR against Delhi Police for illegal detention and evidence tampering
A confrontation between two state police forces unfolded on a highway in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday, escalating into a rare situation in which one police unit registered a criminal case against officers from another state while both sides accused each other of acting unlawfully.
The dispute centres on the detention of three Indian Youth Congress workers linked to protests at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi last week, in an incident that has already triggered political controversy in the national capital.
The Himachal Pradesh Police had summoned the three for a fresh court appearance following their detention by Delhi Police from Shimla, which the state force deemed unauthorised for lacking prior notification.
The confrontation occurred near the Shoghi Barrier between Shimla and Solan, where Himachal Pradesh Police stopped a Delhi Police team that was transporting the detained individuals to Delhi. An argument between personnel from both forces continued for some time as Himachal authorities insisted that the suspects could not be taken out of the state without transit remand from a local court.
The situation became further complicated after Shimla Police registered a case against Delhi Police personnel, alleging that the three men had been forcibly taken from a resort earlier in the day.
Shimla Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh said officers received information on Saturday morning that around 15 to 20 unidentified individuals in plain clothes had arrived at a resort in Mandli, Chirgaon, in the Rohru area of Shimla district.
According to the complaint, the group forcibly took away three people described as guests staying at the Chansal Resort. Police said the visitors' vehicle -- a Thar -- was also taken.
Officials further alleged that the individuals removed the digital video recorder (DVR) from the resort's CCTV system without providing any documentation or receipt.
"On the basis of this information, a case has been registered at Chirgaon police station and legal action is being taken," the Shimla SP said in a press note.
The FIR names unidentified persons, but Himachal Pradesh Police confirmed that it relates to the Delhi Police team that had detained the Youth Congress workers in connection with the Delhi protest case.
Highway Confrontation
As the Delhi Police team attempted to leave Himachal Pradesh with the detainees, Shimla Police intercepted them near the Shoghi Barrier. Officials from Himachal insisted that the suspects could not be transported to Delhi without obtaining transit remand -- a legal procedure requiring local court approval when an accused person is arrested in another state.
Video footage from the scene shows Delhi Police Special Cell ACP Rahul Vikram telling Himachal officers: "We have arrested three people. You are preventing a government employee from working."
A Himachal Pradesh Police officer is heard responding: "We have filed a case against you. You are kidnapping three people. You should join the investigation."
The confrontation reflected a breakdown in coordination between two state law-enforcement agencies, an uncommon development that has drawn attention from political circles.
According to Delhi Police sources, the Himachal authorities detained over 20 Delhi officers temporarily before the matter reached the court. The Delhi Police team then accompanied its Himachal counterparts to court along with the Youth Congress workers.
Background: AI Summit Protest In Delhi
The arrests are linked to a protest staged during the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi on Friday.
Delhi Police said four Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers were arrested after a group entered the venue and carried out what officials described as a "shirtless protest" inside an exhibition hall.
The protesters allegedly displayed T-shirts bearing slogans against the government and the India-US trade deal. Security personnel quickly removed them from the venue.
