• Delhi Police arrested 3 Youth Congress workers in Himachal
• Himachal Police stopped Delhi Police, leading to a standoff
• Court granted transit remand, accused to be taken to Delhi

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A major legal and administrative drama unfolded in Himachal Pradesh after the Delhi Police arrested three Indian Youth Congress workers from a resort in Shimla district and sought to take them to Delhi. The situation led to confrontation between the Delhi Police and the Himachal Pradesh Police, multiple legal proceedings, and intense arguments before a court finally granted transit in the early hours of Thursday.

VIDEO | Shimla: A jurisdiction dispute has erupted after the Delhi Police detained three Youth Congress workers in connection with an AI Summit protest pic.twitter.com/H7o7eaYOb8

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— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 25, 2026

The three accused, Saurav, Arbaaz and Siddharth, were arrested by the Delhi Police from Rohru in Shimla district early Wednesday morning at around 5.30 am in connection with the "shirtless protest" at the AI Summit in New Delhi on February 20.

According to Shimla Police, around 15 to 20 unidentified persons in plain clothes arrived at a resort in the Mandli area of Chirgaon and allegedly took away three guests staying there. The vehicle of the accused was also allegedly taken along.

The complainant also claimed that the DVR of CCTV cameras installed at the Chanshal resort was removed without any seizure memo or official receipt. Based on this complaint, Shimla Police registered a case at Chirgaon police station and began legal action.

Why did Himachal Police stop the Delhi Police?

After the arrests, the Delhi Police team began bringing the accused towards Shimla and later planned to take them to Delhi. However, acting on information, the Himachal Pradesh Police intercepted the Delhi Police team at Dharampur in Solan district.

The Himachal Police detained both the Delhi Police personnel and the accused. Later, when the Delhi Police again attempted to move the accused towards Delhi, they were stopped at the Shoghi border. Meanwhile, the Himachal police barricaded a vehicle belonging to the Delhi Police, which is believed to contain 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, news agency PTI reported.

This led to heated arguments between the two police teams at multiple checkpoints. The accused and Delhi Police personnel were kept waiting for several hours before being produced before a magistrate.

An FIR was also registered by the Shimla Police in connection with the complaint about the alleged forceful action at the resort.

What happened in court?

The matter was first placed before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) in Shimla. The CJM forwarded the case to the court of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate-II (ACJM-II), Ekansh Kapil.

The Delhi Police filed an application seeking transit remand. Transit remand allows police to legally take arrested persons from one state to another for further investigation and court proceedings.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the ACJM-II court granted transit remand to the Delhi Police. The three accused were produced before the residence court of the magistrate before the order was passed.

What did the defence lawyers argue?

Sandeep Dutta, advocate for the accused, argued that the arrest was illegal and that proper procedure had not been followed. He said the accused were picked up from Rohru without proper documentation and without conducting mandatory medical examinations at the time of arrest. He also questioned the absence of proper paperwork and called the detention illegal, ANI reported.

The defence formally opposed the transit remand in court, claiming there were serious procedural lapses. However, after hearing the defence submissions, the court allowed the Delhi Police’s request for transit remand.

What did the Delhi Police say?

Representing the Delhi Police, advocate Nand Lal Thakur said the transit remand application was first moved before the Chief Judicial Magistrate and then forwarded to the appropriate court, where it was approved.

He stated that the three accused would now be taken to Delhi and produced before the concerned local magistrate in the Delhi court where the FIR was originally registered.

He added that the matter is still under investigation and said the Delhi Police would provide further details in a press conference.

With the court granting transit remand, the Delhi Police have started the process of shifting the three accused to Delhi. They will be presented before a competent court there for further legal proceedings.