A confrontation between two state police forces unfolded on a highway in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday, escalating into a rare situation in which one police unit registered a criminal case against officers from another state while both sides accused each other of acting unlawfully.
The dispute centres on the detention of three Indian Youth Congress workers linked to protests at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi last week, in an incident that has already triggered political controversy in the national capital.
The latest confrontation occurred near the Shoghi Barrier between Shimla and Solan, where Himachal Pradesh Police stopped a Delhi Police team that was transporting the detained individuals to Delhi. An argument between personnel from both forces continued for some time as Himachal authorities insisted that the suspects could not be taken out of the state without transit remand from a local court.
The situation became further complicated after Shimla Police registered a case against Delhi Police personnel, alleging that the three men had been forcibly taken from a resort earlier in the day.