The 24-hour dramatic standoff between Delhi and Shimla Police personnel came to an end after the former finally returned to the national capital along with three Youth Congress workers who were arrested in connection with the ‘shirtless protest’ at the AI Summit last week.
In the AI Impact Summit exhibition hall last Friday, now-arrested IYC workers walked around carrying T-shirts printed with slogans against the government and the India-US trade deal, before being whisked away by security personnel.
What led to the confrontation between Delhi and Shimla Police
It all arose after the arrest of three accused – Saurabh Singh and Arbaaz Khan from Uttar Pradesh, and Siddharth Avdhut from Madhya Pradesh – by the Delhi Police from Rohru area of Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh.
What followed after the arrest was a dramatic series of events that included a case of kidnapping by the Shimla Police against Delhi Police personnel – around 20 personnel – who were on their way to the national capital with the three Youth Congress members being detained as well as the alleged ‘detention’ of Delhi Policemen for about five hours.
The day-long drama came to an end in the early hours of Thursday – at around 5:55 am – when the Delhi Police finally left for the city with the three accused they had arrested from Rohru after lengthy legal proceedings and were remanded in judicial custody at 1 am.
As per the details mentioned in an earlier HT report, the Delhi Police arrested the three youths from Rohru at around 5:30 am on Wednesday and took them towards Shimla. However, based on the information, Himachal Pradesh Police intercepted the Delhi Police team at Dharampur in Solan district and detained them along with the accused. Shimla Police allegedly seized a Delhi Police vehicle.
The accused were later transferred to Shimla for legal action. During the day, a private complaint was also filed by a police officer at Baluganj Police Station, before the court alleging procedural lapses.
State authorities intercepted three vehicles of the Delhi Police Special Cell at Shoghi and Dharampur (in Solan district) for not following mandatory inter-state arrest protocols, including obtaining remand. Both the detained Delhi officers and the IYC workers were later produced in a Shimla court as the legal tug of war intensified, people familiar with the matter told HT.
In a statement issued late on Wednesday night, Shimla Police said that a case under BNS sections 190 (unlawful assembly), 329 (4) (trespass in house), 127 (2) (wrongful confinement), 140 (3) kidnapping, 305 (theft in house) has been registered against Delhi Police personnel at Chirgaon police station in Rohru. “This morning, Shimla Police received information that about 15 to 20 people in civilian clothes arrived in cars and forcefully took away three individuals/guests who were staying at a resort in Chirgaon,” the statement read.
“Himachal police were neither informed nor taken into consideration before making the arrests,” said a senior Himachal police official, requesting anonymity.
Court proceedings late at night
In the evening, when the Delhi Police again tried to shift the accused towards Delhi, the team was stopped at a barricade on the outskirts of Shimla, leading to heated scuffles between the police forces. The accused and Delhi Police personnel were detained for several hours before being produced before a judge. An FIR has also been registered by the Shimla police.
The case registered by Himachal Pradesh Police against Delhi Police personnel included kidnapping charges among others.
The three accused Sourav, Arbaaz and Siddharth were produced at around 1 am before ACJM-II Ekansh Kapil, where Delhi Police’s plea for remand was heard and allowed, an earlier HT report said.
A Delhi Police personnel, requesting anonymity, told HT that there was an altercation at the spot and questions were raised as to how the Shimla Police could try to seize our car under the law. After that, the Shimla police, who had impounded all our cars, finally released them… and we remained in detention for some time.
Rahul Vikram, Delhi Police chief, said: “We have given them the warrant, which is the seizure warrant. This is our government vehicle and in this case the property was kept, so it could not have been seized. Finally, we will all leave now. We have been in custody for a long time.”
The Delhi Police team is now heading towards Delhi and the accused will be produced before a local magistrate as per legal procedures.
Remand was granted after late night court proceedings
A district court in Shimla late night granted remand to three accused arrested by Delhi Police from Rohru in Shimla district, officials said early on Thursday.
