IYC Chief Arrested Over AI Summit Protest
The accused opposed the prosecution's remand plea, denying no "riot-like situation" was created and calling the allegations an attempt to "insert riots everywhere."
New Delhi: Amid the continuing flak from friends and foes over its “shirtless stir” at the AI summit in the national capital, the Congress' trouble mounted on Tuesday with the Delhi police arresting its youth wing chief Uday Bhanu Chib for orchestrating the "anti-national" protest. A city court remanded Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president to a four-day custodial remand. While the Congress dubbed the police action "dictatorial", the BJP hit back, calling Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi the "real mastermind".
The arrest of Chib and seven IYC workers evoked sharp reactions from the Congress, with Gandhi calling the action "reflective of dictatorial tendencies and cowardice". Defending the "shirtless" protest, Gandhi said he was “proud” of Youth Congress members for raising their voices “in national interest” against what he called a “compromised PM”.
In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said peaceful protest was part of the Congress’s historical heritage and a democratic right of every Indian. he alleged that India’s national interests had been compromised in a trade agreement with the United States, claiming it will harm farmers and the textile sector and hand over data to the US.
“The arrest of Youth Congress chief Chib and other IYC members for exposing this truth to the nation is reflective of dictatorial tendencies and cowardice. Showing the mirror of truth to power is not a crime; it is patriotism,” Gandhi said, using the hashtag “I Stand With Youth Congress”.
Slamming the BJP, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge recalled how BJP leader Nitin Gadkari and his party workers had created "chaos" during the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He also slammed the arrests and broadened the attack to the Centre’s economic policies and foreign engagements.
The Congress president claimed youth unemployment and economic distress have fuelled public anger against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Alleging that the government has “surrendered” to US President Donald Trump in trade negotiations, Kharge said the Centre was harming farmers instead of supporting them. “Congress is not afraid… Modi is trying to intimidate our youth and young leaders. This will not work. We will make whatever sacrifices are necessary to protect democracy and the Constitution,” he told reporters.
The IYC, in a statement, said the arrest of its chief and workers for raising their voice is a “direct attack on democratic rights” and vowed to continue a “peaceful satyagraha”. “You can arrest a man. You cannot arrest a movement… Protest is not a crime. The fight has just begun,” it said.
The BJP, for its part, alleged that the Congress youth wing had staged the protest at the summit at the behest of Mr Gandhi. The BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia claimed that Gandhi was the "real mastermind" of the Congress youth wing's "naked protest" and asserted that the long arm of the law will soon reach the "rogue" person who organised the "anarchic incident" to defame India from behind the scenes.
Earlier in the day, a Delhi court sent the IYC chief to a four-day police custody. So far, the police have arrested eight people for the shirtless protest at the AI summit. More arrests are likely to follow.
Granting four days’ custody of Chib to the Delhi police, judicial magistrate Ravi directed that constitutional and statutory safeguards be followed. The investigating officer had urged the court for seven days of custodial remand.
The magistrate expressly recorded Chib’s right to meet his counsel during interrogation at intervals fixed by the investigating officer, clarifying that the advocate’s presence will not be continuous or interfere with questioning. The court also said its order should not be construed as a final determination on the applicability of specific penal provisions, including Section 197(1)(d) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the arrest memo, Chib is the “main conspirator and mastermind” behind an “unlawful assembly” during the AI summit, where co-accused allegedly raised “anti-national slogans” and attempted to incite a “riot-like situation”.
The memo further alleged that the IYC chief, along with named associates, obstructed and assaulted police personnel on duty and did not cooperate during interrogation or disclose details of other participants and logistics such as the printing of protest T-shirts. “The investigation of the case is yet pending, and for the proper investigation… you are being arrested,” it stated.
Addressing a press conference, special commissioner of police (crime) Devesh Chandra Srivastva described the accused as “aggressive elements” who made a premeditated attempt to breach the security cordon at the high-profile venue.
“On February 20, while the India AI Impact Summit was underway at Bharat Mandapam, a premeditated attempt was made to breach the security cordon in the presence of dignitaries, delegates and visitors. The aggressive elements were immediately overpowered. During the process, some police personnel sustained injuries,” he said.
Mr Srivastva added that the CCTV footage from the venue and surrounding areas had identified several others allegedly assisting the protesters. “To unearth the entire conspiracy, continuous coordination is being maintained with police authorities of other states and raids are being carried out,” he said.
The official further said that Sections 191(1) and 192 of the BNS, relating to rioting and unlawful assembly, had been invoked as part of what investigators believe was a “deep-rooted conspiracy”.
Given what police termed the case’s “multi-state ramifications” and financial and logistical links among the accused, the probe has been transferred to the crime branch, with police saying more arrests are likely as investigators examine CCTV footages.
