New Delhi: What should have been a seamless handoff of suspects in the AI Summit unrest case instead escalated into a bitter standoff in Himachal Pradesh, culminating in an FIR for kidnapping being filed against visiting Delhi cops. The core of the confrontation seemed to be a lack of “prior intimation” and Delhi Police taking the suspects along without a transit remand.The fracas, however, rekindled the larger issue of routine legal procedures increasingly devolving into high-stakes jurisdictional tangles. So, why do cops, at times, not inform the local police of a different state during raids?While police cooperation is generally governed by professional courtesy, such protocols are often discarded in high-profile and ‘sensitive” cases, according to sources. As police remains a state subject, the jurisdictional friction often peaks when the states involved are governed by opposing political parties, as was the case in Himachal Pradesh.According to investigators, while the law mandates seeking local assistance, the reality on the ground is often dictated by a range of factors, ranging from ensuring the safety of the raiding team in a hostile environment to preventing a potential escape bid by the suspects.“The decision to keep local police in the dark is often a tactical choice driven by the fear of tipsoffs, where a suspect might be alerted by local elements and flee before the raiding team arrives,” said an investigator who routinely goes to other states to hunt for suspects in cybercrime cases.At times, cops are wary that informing local police stations could allow an influential accused person to assert local dominance or mobilise a mob to obstruct the arrest, the officer added. There have been instances of cops being attacked with stones in some cases.The cops, however, maintained that the goal is not to keep the local police in dark as they are almost always taken on board, even if it is at a later stage, and senior (IPS) officers get in touch with each other to discuss the case. “The ‘IPS bonhomie’ and mutual understanding between officers always smooth over these cracks even if there is tension between teams on the ground,” a retired senior cop said.Cops also argued that in exigency cases and extraordinary circumstances, they are well within their legal rights, citing the requirement to produce suspects before a court within 24 hours of arrest.Sources highlighted that in NCR, the proximity of Delhi, Noida (UP) and Haryana can lead to a logistical minefield, but the situation mostly remains in control due to a range of reasons, including Delhi Police conducting frequent inter-state meetings and presence of the same governing party in these states.However, the issue often arises in Delhi and neighbouring states when cops from states like Punjab or West Bengal conduct raids and try to apprehend an accused in a case which is not “core crime”.Senior Delhi cops maintained that while there may be anomalies in some cases due to time and other constraints, the number of cases where such confrontations happen is miniscule. “We encourage the teams to take local cops on board and provide local police station support to visiting cops on a routine basis,” a senior officer said.
