Bharat Mandapam protest: Delhi Police bring back 3 accused from HP

Delhi Police arrested three Indian Youth Congress members in Himachal Pradesh for a 'shirtless protest' at Bharat Mandapam and brought them back to the capital. The arrest led to a jurisdictional dispute between Delhi and Himachal police forces.

Delhi Police on Thursday brought back three accused in the 'shirtless protest' at Bharat Mandapam. The accused, members of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC), were arrested in Himachal Pradesh earlier in connection with the protest at the AI Impact Summit. The other eight suspects are also being held at Delhi Crime Branch.

Details of the Arrest and Transfer

The three accused are Saurabh from Amethi, Uttar Pradesh; Arbaz from Sultanpur; and the third suspect is Siddharth, a resident of Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. They were apprehended by the Special Cell of Delhi Police from a hotel in Rohru subdivision of Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh According to the Delhi Police, "The Youth Congress workers arrested from Shimla, namely Saurabh, Arbaaz and Siddharth, are residents of Amethi, Sultanpur and Rewa, respectively. All of them had escaped and were hiding in Himachal Pradesh. Of the three arrested accused, two were present at the protest itself, while one was involved in the conspiracy."

Following the arrest, these three were brought to Ambala Civil Hospital for a medical check earlier in the day. Speaking to ANI, Doctor Anu Barwal, Medical Officer at Ambala Civil Hospital, said, "Delhi Police brought the three accused for medical examination...Their medical examination was carried out at the Civil Hospital, Ambala...Their condition is stable..."

Jurisdictional Conflict During Arrest

Earlier, Himachal Pradesh police and Delhi police officials got into an 'argument' regarding the arrest of the accused, who were detained by Delhi police officials in Himachal earlier. Himachal Police had seized the vehicles of police officials, alleging earlier that the accused were being 'kidnapped'. "There was an argument at the spot, and questions were raised on how the Shimla Police was trying to seize our vehicle under the law. After that, Shimla Police, which had detained all our vehicles, finally released them. It is now almost 6 pm, and we are finally leaving. We were kept in detention for quite some time," a Delhi police personnel said.

Court Proceedings for Other Accused

Meanwhile, the other accused in the case, Indian Youth Congress Gwalior District President Raja Gujar and former Bhind District Vice President Ajay Kumar Vimal, who were arrested on Monday, were brought to the Patiala House Court after the expiry of police custody.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Patiala House Court extended the police custody of five accused associated with the Indian Youth Congress for an additional four days in connection with the case. The accused are scheduled to be produced in court on March 1. They were presented before the court following their police custody. Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Mridul Gupta extended the police custody of accused Krishna Hari, Kundan Yadav, Ajay Kumar, Narsimha Yadav, and Jitendra Yadav.

Background of the Protest

The arrest came after the members of the Indian Youth Congress staged a protest at the Bharat Mandapam venue of the Al Impact India Summit in the national capital on Friday by removing their shirts with slogans that read, "Compromised PM".

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)