
‘Shirtless’ protest: Three more Congress workers held in Shimla; total arrests rise to 11
The Hindu
Three more Congress workers arrested in Shimla, raising total arrests to 11 linked to the "shirtless" protest at AI Impact Summit.
Three more Congress workers have been taken into custody in connection with the "shirtless" protest at the AI Impact Summit here, taking the total number of those arrested in the case to 11, an official said on Wednesday (February 25, 2026).
Saurabh, Siddharth and Arbaz were apprehended by the Special Cell of Delhi Police from a hotel in Rohru subdivision of Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh. They were produced before a local court, which granted transit remand to enable the police to bring them to Delhi for further questioning, he said.
However, the arrests led to a dramatic turn of events after Himachal Pradesh Police intercepted the Delhi Police team while they were transporting the accused to the national capital.
According to sources in Himachal Pradesh Police, the team from Delhi carried out the operation in Shimla without informing the local police. Acting on this, Himachal police intercepted three vehicles carrying the accused — who are reportedly not residents of Himachal Pradesh — and Delhi Police personnel.
Two vehicles were stopped in Shimla, while the third was intercepted near Dharampur in Solan district. Around 20 people, including police personnel, were detained, the source said.
The "shirtless" protest at Bharat Mandapam on February 20 had triggered a major security response, with police earlier invoking charges including rioting and promoting enmity under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The Clamorous reed warbler is as loud as they come, but in the urban environment, it is outshouted. Weed clearing in urban habitats brings down its home, the bulrushes. Bulrushes in wetlands are not encroachments, but ‘legal homes’ to birds in the crake and rail family and warblers, so government line agencies ought to tread on them thoughtfully

The Clamorous reed warbler is as loud as they come, but in the urban environment, it is outshouted. Weed clearing in urban habitats brings down its home, the bulrushes. Bulrushes in wetlands are not encroachments, but ‘legal homes’ to birds in the crake and rail family and warblers, so government line agencies ought to tread on them thoughtfully











