New Delhi, February 24 – Delhi Police arrested Uday Bhanu Chib, the National President of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC), on Tuesday in connection with the protest without shirts at Bharat Mandapam on the final day of the India AI Impact Summit.
Chib was taken into custody in the early hours after several rounds of questioning regarding the protest. He was arrested after nearly 15 hours of interrogation at the Tilak Marg police station. According to police sources, Chib allegedly refused to cooperate during the questioning and attempted to mislead investigators. Officials claim they have sufficient evidence against him.
After the arrest, he was brought to the Patiala House Court.
Reacting to the arrest, senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel criticised the action taken against the Youth Congress chief and other workers. In a post on X, Baghel strongly condemned what he described as the "illegal arrest" of Uday Bhanu Chib and several other young members. He stated that in a democracy, raising questions and expressing concerns peacefully is not a crime but a fundamental right.
"I strongly condemn the illegal arrest of IYC National President Bhai Uday Bhanu Chib ji and other young comrades by Delhi Police. The "dictatorship" government is forgetting that in a democracy, raising voice, asking questions and protesting by the youth is not a crime, but the strongest weapon of democracy. Our Youth Congress workers, without any violence or provocation, in a peaceful manner, brought to light the compromises of the Prime Minister and the unheard suffering of the youth," he said.
Baghel further said that the protest was a "courageous and democratic step".
"This was a courageous, legitimate and democratic step, which the government is now resorting to by resorting to police repression to suppress it. This action is not only illegal but also a direct attack on freedom of expression and democracy. We demand that all the arrested IYC workers including Uday Bhanu Chib ji be released immediately and all the false charges against them be withdrawn and such repressive actions be stopped immediately. We will fight and win," Baghel said.
Workers of the IYC had on Friday entered the venue of the AI Impact Summit wearing or carrying T-shirts bearing slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the India-US trade deal. Delhi Police later stated that the protesters had registered online for the summit and gained entry wearing jackets or sweaters to conceal T-shirts displaying anti-Prime Minister slogans.
The incident triggered a political slugfest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. The BJP termed the protest a “shameful act” aimed at tarnishing India’s image on the global stage, while the IYC defended it as a “peaceful” demonstration intended to safeguard national interests.
Following the protest, Congress leader Pawan Khera posted a video message on X, saying that the IYC "removed the posters" and made the country notice the "cracks in the walls".
"The Indian Youth Congress through the medium of a peaceful protest, have reflected the anger among the youth, at this AI Summit. There is a lot of hue and cry since then. A 'compromised' prime minister's 'incentivised' media has started saying that, the protest has been staged at the 'wrong place', and it has brought dishonour to the country, protest should not have been done there," he said.
