SHIMLA: A sharp inter-state confrontation broke out on Wednesday after Shimla Police registered an FIR against nearly 20 Delhi Police personnel over the alleged abduction of three Youth Congress members. The Delhi team was first detained at Dharampur, later released by a Shimla court, and then stopped again near Shoghi amid escalating tensions.
Delhi Police subsequently arranged medical examinations for the three arrested Youth Congress workers — Arbaz, Siddharth and Saurabh — at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital in Shimla. After the medical process, the trio is to be produced before the Shimla Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court, where Delhi Police will seek transit remand.
According to Shimla Police, they received information on Wednesday morning that 15–20 unidentified men in plain clothes arrived at a resort in Mandli village of Chirgaon in Rohru and forcibly took away three guests staying there. The men allegedly seized a Mahindra Thar belonging to the guests and removed the DVR of CCTV cameras at Chanshal Resort without issuing any seizure memo or receipt.
Following the complaint, an FIR was registered at Chirgaon police station and an investigation launched.
Acting on the inputs, Himachal Pradesh Police set up a checkpoint at Dharampur in Solan district and detained the Delhi Police team along with the three individuals in the afternoon. They were taken to the Shimla district court, where Delhi Police presented documents linked to an FIR registered in Delhi.
Himachal authorities termed the arrests “illegal,” claiming the local police had not been informed prior to the operation. Delhi Police, however, accused their counterparts of obstructing official duty. The court eventually allowed Delhi Police to take the three men to Delhi for further proceedings.
But as the team headed towards Delhi in the evening, Shimla Police intercepted them again near Shoghi, informing them that an FIR had been filed against the Delhi personnel for alleged abduction and directing them to join the investigation.
Earlier, on February 21, Delhi Police had conducted a raid at Himachal Sadan in Delhi after receiving information that Youth Congress members who took part in the protest at Bharat Mandapam were staying there. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who was in Delhi at the time along with other ministers, criticised the action, saying the Delhi Police should have at least informed the Himachal government officials.
