Shirtless protest case: Delhi Police brings back three accused

After a 24-hour standoff with Himachal Pradesh Police, a Delhi Police team returned to the national capital with three Youth Congress workers arrested in connection with the shirtless protest at the AI Impact Summit. They will be produced before a local court

New Delhi: After a dramatic 24-hour standoff with the Shimla police, a Delhi Police team on Thursday returned to the national capital with three Youth Congress workers arrested in connection with the ‘shirtless protest’ at the AI Impact Summit last week, an officer said.

The three, Saurabh, Siddharth and Arbaz, will be produced before a local court here for further proceedings and police remand, he said.

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The confrontation between the two police forces took place on Wednesday after the Delhi Police arrested the trio from a hotel in the Rohru area of Shimla district in connection with an FIR registered on February 20 over the protest at Bharat Mandapam.

While the Delhi Police maintained that they had secured a valid transit remand from a local court in Shimla, the Himachal Pradesh Police alleged procedural lapses and registered a kidnapping case against unidentified Delhi Police personnel.

The Delhi team was stopped multiple times at different points, including the Shoghi border and Kanlog, and their vehicles were briefly detained.

The impasse, which also led to traffic disruption near Shimla, ended early Thursday after the Delhi Police shared a copy of the seizure memo listing the digital evidence collected during the arrests. However, they refused to hand over the electronic material, asserting that it was part of the case property.

With the transit remand in place, the police team resumed its journey and reached the national capital on Thursday morning.

So far, 12 people have been arrested in connection with the protest, the police said.