A startling confrontation gripped northern India as Himachal Pradesh Police detained a Delhi Police contingent of around 20 officers Wednesday, hours after they arrested Youth Congress leaders in Shimla’s Rohru area. The chain of events traces back to fiery protests by youth activists at the AI Summit in the national capital.
The Delhi team executed the arrests connected to the provocative shirtless rally against government policies. En route back with the trio in custody, they were halted at a Dharampur checkpoint in Solan district, acting on Shimla Police intel. The full party was then escorted to Shimla court.
SP SD Verma outlined the sequence, noting checkpoints were positioned proactively following arrest notifications. This intervention prevented what locals viewed as overzealous external policing on Himachal soil.
Congress strongman Kuldeep Singh Rathore erupted in protest, calling for the state to prosecute the Delhi force for privacy breaches via no-warrant entries. He portrayed the detentions as orchestrated silencing of youth challenging the establishment at marquee events like the AI Summit.
Rathore’s statement pulled no punches against the Centre: ‘The country isn’t one party’s asset.’ He reminded that democracy thrives on opposition scrutiny, with governments transient but public voice eternal. The summit demo, he insisted, was no threat but a legitimate cry amplified unfairly.
This jurisdictional joust reverberates through political corridors, potentially chilling cross-state enforcement. Courts now hold the key, but the incident amplifies concerns over politicized policing and the right to protest in a polarized landscape.