AI Summit Banian Protest Probe: Who Are The Three Arrested From Shimla & What Led To The Himachal Vs Delhi Police Faceoff

New Delhi: A major confrontation broke out between Delhi Police and Himachal Pradesh Police, when officers of the Himachal Pradesh Police intercepted and detained personnel from the Delhi Police during the transfer of three Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers arrested in connection with the “shirtless” protest at the Bharat Mandapam during the recent AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.

How the Shimla Face-Off Unfolded

Around 9 a.m. on Wednesday, a Delhi Police team arrived in Rohru, nearly 120 km from Shimla, travelling in four vehicles. The team arrested the three men from a resort in the Mandli area of Chirgaon.

According to Himachal Police, they received information that 15-20 unidentified persons in plain clothes had arrived at the resort and allegedly took away three guests along with their vehicle. A case was subsequently registered at the local police station and legal proceedings were initiated.

After receiving information about the arrests, Shimla Police went on alert and set up blockades at three locations. One Delhi Police vehicle was stopped at ISBT Shimla, another near Shoghi, and the remaining two were intercepted at Dharampur in Solan.

At about 4 p.m., Shimla Police took custody of the three accused from the Delhi Police team and brought them back to Shimla. Officials alleged the Delhi Police had taken the men into custody without informing local authorities and described it as illegal detention.

Who Are the Three Arrested?

The three Youth Congress workers at the centre of the row have been named as Saurabh Singh, Arbaaz Ahmed Khan and Siddharth Avdhoot. None of the three are believed to be residents of Himachal Pradesh; sources say Saurabh and Arbaaz hail from Uttar Pradesh while Siddharth is from Madhya Pradesh. They were among several IYC activists alleged to have staged a shirtless protest at the AI Impact Summit on February 20, wherein demonstrators removed their outer shirts to reveal T-shirts with protest slogans inside the summit venue.

FIR Against Delhi Police

An FIR was registered by the Himachal Pradesh Police at Chirgaon Police Station under Rohru Subdivision in Shimla district in connection with the AI Summit case. According to the registration details, FIR number 0018/2026 was filed on 25 February 2026 at 8:11 PM under Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. 

The case invokes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including Section 140(3) for kidnapping or abducting with intent to secretly and wrongfully confine a person, Section 329(4) for aggravated house-trespass or house-breaking, Section 127(2) for wrongful confinement, and Section 190 for unlawful assembly. The FIR has been lodged by Himachal Pradesh Police against Delhi Police officials in relation to the incident.

Court Hearing and Legal Proceedings

At 5 p.m., the accused were produced before Chakkar Court. The matter was first placed before the Chief Judicial Magistrate and later forwarded to the court of Ekansh Kapil, who granted transit remand to Delhi Police after arguments from both sides.

Shimla Police also alleged that CCTV DVRs from Chanshal Resort were taken without a seizure memo or receipt. A separate private complaint was reportedly filed by the SHO of Baluganj Police Station, which is scheduled for a separate hearing.

Highway Standoff on NH-5

Early Thursday morning, Shimla Police again stopped the Delhi Police convoy on NH-5, citing the earlier FIR and demanding that Delhi Police personnel cooperate with the state probe, asking that only three Delhi personnel accompany the accused while the remaining officers stay back for questioning. At one stage, Shimla Police also seized one Delhi Police vehicle, alleging it contained a DVR connected to the case.

A Delhi Police officer stated that each vehicle carried one accused and that they were simply carrying out their duty of producing them securely before court.

Medical Examination at Ambala

Delhi Police team has since reached Chandigarh and is transporting the accused to Delhi, where they will be produced before a magistrate. During the transfer process, the three accused were taken to Ambala Civil Hospital, where they underwent medical examination as part of legal procedure before further transit.

Resolution and Departure

After about 24 hours of tense negotiations and legal back-and-forth, the standoff eased on Thursday when Shimla Police released the detained Delhi Police vehicles and personnel. Delhi officers, who had provided the required seizure documentation and transit remand orders, were allowed to proceed toward Delhi with the three accused.

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