Jammu, February 26 Indian Youth Congress state secretary Karandeep Singh was detained in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday after he climbed onto a five-story water tank to protest the arrest of national president Uday Bhanu Chib, officials said.
Carrying a Congress flag and a banner displaying the words "Modi is compromised", Singh and another youth scaled the structure and shouted slogans targeting the Centre and the prime minister.
The IYC state secretary accused the Union government of suppressing democratic voices and said that the country's leadership has "bowed before foreign powers".
He declared that the agitation would continue until the release of Chib, who was arrested over the "shirtless protest" during the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. Singh also asserted that the Congress would not surrender to pressure.
"We want Chib and his other colleagues to be released immediately. The BJP government and the prime minister are intolerant of democratic protests. We will continue our protest until they are released," he said.
The protest drew a crowd of local residents, prompting the police and district administration to rush to the spot. After prolonged persuasion and negotiations, they managed to bring Singh down safely. He was taken into custody to prevent any escalation in protests, officials said.
Reacting sharply to the police action, Congress leaders termed Singh's detention an attempt to muzzle dissent. Saying that peaceful protest is a constitutional right, they accused the government of following a policy of repression against opposition voices.
While being detained, Singh continued to raise slogans, asserting that the voice of youth could not be silenced.
"How many of us will you arrest, how many will you send to jail? We will not step back," he shouted, alleging authoritarianism by the government.
