AI Summit Protest Arrests Spark 24-Hour Clash

AI Summit Protest: A high-voltage standoff between the police teams of Delhi and Shimla came to an end after a dramatic 24 hours on Thursday morning, after the Delhi Police team was finally cleared to head back to the national capital along with the three Youth Congress activists arrested in connection with the 'shirtless protest' at the AI Summit. In the stalemate that continued for around 24 hours, the Delhi Police team was "detained" for about five hours even after procuring the transit remand from the ACJM.

What Happened - Full Timeline

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.

On Wednesday evening, the Himachal Pradesh Police registered a kidnapping case against the Delhi Police personnel and "detained" their vehicles at the Shogi border near Shimla. The three accused, along with members of the Delhi Police, were taken to the residence of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM II) Ekansh Kapil at 1.30 am after undergoing medical examinations at the Deendyal Upadhyay Zonal Hospital in Shimla late Wednesday night. They were granted the transit remand, and they resumed their journey.

However, early Thursday morning, the Delhi police team was detained again at Kanlog in Shimla city. They were instructed to return to the national capital with the accused and a few additional police personnel, while the remaining members were asked to stay behind and cooperate with the investigation into the kidnapping case against them.

What Triggered the Chaos?

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.

The Shimla police had also barricaded a vehicle belonging to the Delhi Police, which contained CCTV footage and other evidence. The Delhi Police stated that this vehicle holds digital evidence, accompanying documents, and arms. During the standoff, the Shimla police sought the keys to the barricaded vehicle, but the Delhi Police refused to hand them over.

A personnel from the Delhi team informed the Shimla police that a seizure memo had been provided, and the relevant documents had been shown to the ACJM, based on which they were granted the transit remand.

The impasse ended when the Delhi police shared a copy of the seizure memo with the Shimla police. Although they did not share the digital evidence, the memo listed the evidence in their possession related to the case. The Delhi police are now set to produce the accused before a local magistrate in the national capital to seek remand.

Politics Over Delhi Police-Shimla Police Standoff

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.

Shirtless Protest at Bharat Mandapam

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.

On Saturday midnight, Delhi Police raided Himachal Sadan in the national capital amid reports that IYC workers who had participated in the protest were provided accommodation there.