Inter-State Row: Himachal Police Halt Delhi Police Team, Free IYC Workers
Shimla, Feb 26, KNT: A jurisdictional standoff erupted between the police forces of Himachal Pradesh and Delhi after a team from Delhi Police allegedly detained three workers of the Indian Youth Congress in connection with a protest linked to an AI Summit event.
According to official sources, the Delhi Police team had travelled to Himachal Pradesh to arrest the youth activists for their alleged involvement in a demonstration. The officers were reportedly operating in plain clothes and had taken the three individuals into custody without formally informing the local police authorities.
As the team was returning towards the national capital with the detained activists, personnel of Himachal Pradesh Police intercepted them. After verification, the Himachal Police secured the release of the three Youth Congress workers and detained around 20 Delhi Police personnel for allegedly carrying out illegal arrests within the state’s jurisdiction.
Officials in Himachal Pradesh subsequently registered an FIR against members of the Delhi Police team on charges including abduction and procedural violations. The detained Delhi Police officers were questioned regarding the circumstances under which the arrests were conducted without prior coordination or intimation to the local authorities.
The incident has triggered a political controversy, with opposition leaders questioning the manner of arrests and raising concerns over inter-state policing protocols. Legal experts noted that established procedures require coordination between state police units when arrests are to be made outside the territorial jurisdiction of the originating force.
Authorities from both sides were engaged in discussions to resolve the matter as per legal and administrative frameworks. Further developments were awaited at the time of filing this report.
Legal experts have pointed to provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code governing arrests outside a police officer’s territorial jurisdiction. Under Sections 48 and 79 of the CrPC, a police officer may pursue and arrest an accused beyond their jurisdiction, but established protocol requires informing the local police station and, in certain circumstances, producing the arrested individual before the nearest magistrate. [KNT]
