Youth Congress Chief Uday Bhanu Chib Arrested Over AI Summit Protest
His arrest comes days after the Indian Youth Congress raised its voice at the summit and protested against Prime Minister Narendra Modi
New Delhi: Indian Youth Congress President Uday Bhanu Chib was arrested on Tuesday in connection with a Youth Congress protest at Bharat Mandapam during the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Delhi Police said.
His arrest comes days after the Indian Youth Congress raised its voice at the summit and protested against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he had "compromised the nation's identity," according to a party release.
The Congress strongly opposed the arrest, with senior leader Bhupesh Baghel calling the government dictatorial.
"I strongly condemn the illegal arrest of IYC National President Brother Uday Bhanu Chib ji and other young comrades by the Delhi Police. The dictatorial government is forgetting that in a democracy, young people raising their voice, asking questions, and protesting is not a crime -- it is the strongest weapon of democracy," Baghel said.
He added that the Youth Congress workers peacefully highlighted the Prime Minister's alleged compromises and the concerns of unemployed youth, calling the arrest an attack on freedom of expression. He demanded the immediate release of Chib and other detained workers, withdrawal of charges, and an end to what he termed repressive actions.
Addressing the issue at the summit earlier, Chib said that the youth of the country "will no longer remain silent."
"'PM is compromised' is not just a slogan, but the anger of millions of unemployed youth. This trade deal with the US is a betrayal of the interests of our farmers and the public, which will only benefit the US. Peaceful protest is our right in a democracy, and we will continue to raise the voice of the youth," he said.
Chib clarified that the party was not against the AI Summit but opposed any compromise with India's interests.
"We are against any compromise with India's interests. When the country's farmers are being compromised, anti-India trade agreements are being signed, and youth are being pushed into hate politics while keeping them unemployed, should we remain silent? This country belongs to 1.4 billion citizens," he said.
Earlier on Friday, a group of Indian Youth Congress members staged a protest at the Bharat Mandapam venue of the AI Impact India Summit by removing their shirts displaying slogans that read "Compromised PM."